kenlassblog

Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson once said “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face”. Iron Mike wasn’t known for his great wisdom, but his comment is undeniably true. We can be sailing along, living out our grand plan, when suddenly life punches you in the face. Immediately our comfort and security goes out the window, replaced by fear, worry and anxiety.

Best to keep in mind another old saying. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Instead of being filled with self pity over your misfortune, get up off the floor and push on. Fight for joy relentlessly. Choose to be optimistic. Giving up never makes things better, only worse.

When life punches you in the face, punch back.

It’s hard to overstate the value of a good friend. Someone you can talk openly with and participate in experiences with. But also someone with whom you can spend time without having to talk a lot. Just being there together. This friend can be your husband or wife, or a person you’ve known since childhood, or a neighbor, or a fellow church member. Even if you consider yourself somewhat of a loner, a good friend still fills a critical need in your life.

But how do you establish this kind of relationship with someone? The best way is to be that kind of friend to someone else. Maybe even to several others. A person who is known to be thoughtful, kind, considerate and outgoing seldom lacks companionship.

To gain a good friend, be a good friend. It’s well worth the effort.

I have always loved music, in all of its genres. There is almost no style of music I don’t enjoy. Everything from classical to country to pop, they all bring me some sort of peace, joy and calm. My house is like a museum of ways to listen to music. I have an old turntable with vinyl records, tape cassettes, eight tracks, CDs, and now I just stick my airpods into my ears and download music from my phone.

If life has got you down, it might help to add a little music to it. Get you a set of head or ear phones, dial up some sweet, soft symphonic offerings, close your eyes and relax. Maybe spiritual hymns would be your preference. Maybe you were just born to rock ‘n roll. Whatever the pick, it does seem to help get your mind off your burdens, if only for a short spell.

Every little moment of peace helps.

Spring is here and everything has started growing. I’ve always been amazed at weeds. Grass, flowers and trees are finicky. Things have to be just right for them to thrive. Weeds don’t care. They just endure everything and grow anyway. No rain? No fertilization? Inadequate soil? Not enough sun or shade? No problem. Weeds flourish regardless. I’ve even seen them come up through the cracks in my driveway. Cut them down, they grow back. Spray them with poison and they wilt for a bit, but eventually rejuvenate themselves.

As much of a pain as they are to pull and kill off, a part of me can’t help but admire their persistence and determination. Wouldn’t it be great to go through life just brushing aside all manner of adversity and relentlessly pursue your goals? It just may be the key to a long and successful journey.

Live like a weed. Don’t let problems uproot your joy.

It doesn’t take much to put you into a bad mood, does it? You stub your toe, your favorite team loses a game, you have car trouble, your kid or grandkid spills his drink, that plumber failed to show up, you can’t get a doctor appointment until the next leap year.

Suddenly, you’re in a funk. You’re miffed and you’re looking to take it out on somebody. It’s usually somebody you love. You say something you shouldn’t say, feelings get hurt. It happens. We all go through bad moods.

Next time, try this: Say “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I’m having a bad day. I need a little grace”. You will be surprised at how such a simple statement will heal feelings and change your frame of mind.

A little humility is the best antidote for a bad mood.

We recently had an intense thunderstorm pass through our neighborhood. Straight line wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour. Heavy rain and even hailstones. We were safe inside our house, but I wondered about the little birds who frequent our backyard feeders. They’ve sort of become our pets, and I couldn’t help worrying about how they protect themselves in severe weather like this.

I read where they seek protection in dense hedges and heavily foliated tree branches, but the leaves were not yet on the trees, and it’s hard to believe a hedge can shield them from that kind of force.

Yet when the skies clear and the storm calms, they all return, apparently having survived just fine. Incredible how God protects his creations. Somehow, He takes care of his birds. Our birds. Makes me feel like He’s got me covered as well.

I came upon an interesting random statistic the other day. It revealed that young children smile about 400 times per day, but the average adult smiles only about 20 times per day. The figure was supposedly based on “research”, although I can’t help wondering who actually followed people around all day and counted all those smiles.

But the point seems to be, children tend to be much happier than adults. Why do you figure that is the case? Perhaps they have less to worry about. Maybe they are at peace because they trust others, more powerful and loving than themselves, to take care of them. They just don’t worry about what they can’t control.

God can do that for you. And that will make you smile.

I attended a very small, private elementary school out in the country. At the beginning of each school year, the teachers would haul out the same old eye chart to test the vision of all the students. My vision was not good, but I hated the thought of wearing glasses. I thought the other kids would make fun of me and call me “four eyes”. So I memorized that eye chart, and passed my vision test each year, despite my fuzzy eyesight.

That worked until seventh grade. The school crossed me up by using a new eye chart. I was busted. My near-sightedness was diagnosed, and I had to wear glasses. I was miserable, until I put those glasses on. I was amazed at what I was missing. I could see the blackboard clearly, I could see cars on the road outside the building, during recess I could see the baseball so much better on the playground. I did take a little teasing, but the improved vision was well worth it.

Sometimes the thing you most fear turns out to be the blessing you don’t expect.

I’m fascinated by this relatively new phenomenon in our culture known as “influencers”. Thousands of people making money simply by posting their endorsement of products, and sharing their opinions on social media platforms about things they have purchased. Apparently, the public really is influenced by these folks, some of whom have an incredible number of followers.

It occurs to me that all of us are influencers. The way we act, the way we treat people, the language we use, and our kindness. or lack of it, to others sets an example its in own small way. You may feel anonymous, but you’d probably be surprised at how many folks notice the way you live your life. You will leave an impression. You have the power to brighten somebody’s day with a smile, a pleasant word or an act of kindness.

Now that’s what I call influence.

Pick out one person you know you are going to see today. Then think of something nice you can tell them. A compliment, or an expression of appreciation, something that will build them up. Could be anything. You know them. You know what they want to hear. Be their little, perhaps unexpected, blessing today.

They will probably smile, say thank you, and humbly brush it off as if to say “it’s no big deal”. Trust me. It’s a big deal. They will remember your acknowledgement all day, and it will lift them up. They may not show it. They may think it’s “uncool” to show it, but they will feel it.

But be intentional about this. Plan it ahead of time. Do this at least once every day. You’ll be a light in so many lives. And you will find yourself glowing as well.