Words of Wisdom

WORDS OF WISDOM

 

“Justice is when we get what we deserve. Mercy is when

we don’t get what we deserve. But grace is when we get

what we don’t deserve.” -- Anonymous

 

“Time is what keeps everything from happening at once.”

-- Anonymous

 

“Never, for the sake of peace and quiet, deny your own

experience or convictions.” -- Dag Hammarskjöld

 

“The people who make a difference in our life are not the

ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the

most awards. They are the ones that care.” -- Unknown

 

“Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today.

It’s already tomorrow in Australia.” -- Charles Schultz

 

“You don’t stop laughing because you grow old. You

grow old because you stop laughing.” -- Unknown

 

“Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.” -- Unknown

 

“We cannot change the direction of the wind...but we

can adjust our sails.” -- Unknown

 

 

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

 

A farmer named Muldoon lived alone in the Irish

countryside with a pet dog he doted on. The dog finally

died and Muldoon went to the Parish priest and asked if

the priest would say a mass for the animal.

 

Father Patrick replied, “No, we cannot have services for

an animal in the church, but there’s a new denomination

down the road, no telling what they believe, but maybe

they’ll do something for the animal.”

 

Muldoon said, “I’ll go right now. Do you think $50,000

is enough to donate for the service?”

 

Father Patrick relied, “Why didn’t you tell me the dog

was Catholic?”

 

 

A WORD FROM ABRAHAM LINCOLN

 

“You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging

thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the

strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down

the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of

man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot keep out of

trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot

build character and courage by taking away man’s

initiative and independence. You cannot help men

permanently by doing for them what they could and

should do for themselves.”

 

-- Abraham Lincoln

 

 

THE KEY FOR GUIDANCE

 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your

own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him

[God], and he will make your paths straight.”

(Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV)

 

 

HEALTH WATCH

 

Keep washing your hands. Here’s more evidence that it

reduces the risk of colds and the flu: a large study of

Naval recruits at a training center in Illinois found that

when they washed their hands at least five times a day,

they cut the rate of such respiratory illnesses by 45%.

 

For untrue health scares spread via the internet visit the

special section of the CDC’s website at:

www.cdc.gov/hoax_rumors.htm

 

-- UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, December 2001

 

 

ON MARRIAGE

 

“My marriage would be a whole lot better if only he or

she would change!”

 

I guess we’ve all heard this line before. However,

blaming the other person for a less-than-ideal marriage

doesn’t change anything. The only person I can ever

change is myself. And as I change, those around me are

almost forced to change -- sometimes for the better, but

not always as some people don’t want us to change. They

feel quite safe when we stay as we are.

 

Love includes our emotions, but it is much more than

these. Love is a commitment of one imperfect person to

another imperfect person. When we have this attitude, a

new sense of realism enters the marriage and makes

growth possible.

 

Someone once said, “Doing things for other helps you

to fall in love. But doing things with and for others helps

you to stay in love.”

 

For the article, “The Art of Staying in Love” click on:

http://www.actsweb.org/family/stay_love1.htm

 

 

SOAR WITH THE EAGLES

 

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their

strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will

run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be

faint.” (Isaiah 40:31, NIV)

 

Did you know that an eagle knows when the storm is

approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly

to some high spot and wait for the winds to come.

When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind

will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the

storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The

eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm

to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

 

When the storms of life come upon us -- and all of us

will experience them -- [it may not be easy but] we can

rise above them by setting our minds and our belief in

Jesus, our God. The storms do not have to overcome us.

We can allow God’s power to lift us above them. God

enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring

sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment into our

lives. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh

us down, it is how we handle them.

 

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to always hope

and trust in you so that, when the storms of life rage

around me, I will be able to soar like the eagle above the

turbulence and become a better, stronger Christian as a

result. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

 

-- Author of the Eagle story unknown

 

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upon you

and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you

and give you peace.”