What Are Your Ratings -- Part 1

Rate your example -- "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." -- 1 Timothy 4:12

My example in "word"

• Do I seem to know when and how to approach problems (tactful, sensitive)?
• Do I effectively challenge others to fulfill their responsibilities?
• Do I refrain from unwholesome conversation (gossip, griping, off-color remarks)?
• 4 - Consistently True
• 3 - Generally True
• 2 - Occasionally True
• 1 - Seldom True

My example in "conversation" (lifestyle)

• Do I seem to be free from a preoccuptation with material things (not greedy, not worldly)
• Am I attentive to small, personal details (cleanliness, punctuality, manners)?
• Do I live for others instead of using my time to pursue my own interests (receation, hobbies, television, etc.)?
• 4 - Consistently True
• 3 - Generally True
• 2 - Occasionally True
• 1 - Seldom True

Pressure Cookers Go Ka-Boom--Part 3

Nothing exposes our own spiritual deficiencies --and sometimes outright spiritual poverty--more than the pressures of life. If you are buckling under pressures resist the urge to just "get away from it all" as a solution. Unless by that you mean to remove yourself from the situation temporarily for a few hours for meditation and prayer with God Himself.

Don't think that just a change of scenery or pace will solve the problem. There is no doubt that these can be a temporal restoration just as the reason we have a "day of rest". The greater benefit for this pause from normal activities however was to draw ones focus back to God.

Often we will use our work, television, sports, hobby, or other escapes aways to get away from our pressures of life. We must not teach through this example to "get away from it all" as a valid way of handling problems. When facing pressures of life we should stop to draw closer to God --He is the One of it all when we are under pressure.

So if a believer has a renewed mind about his pressures, he can consider them a source of joy.

• "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." --2 Corinthians 12:9-10 [Remember God's purposes for the pressures.]


• "Gird up the loins of your mind" --1 Peter 1:13 [That means to restrict our thinking to God's perspective only and change our response accordingly. Ouch!

Any believer can experience that joy if he handles his pressures God's Way. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." --Isaiah 26:3

[This timely lesson on dealing with life's pressures has given me a biblical base in working through them without falling apart or exploding from them. I have been learning so much but when situations arise I haven't been so good with the applications. Please, Lord, help me.] As previously stated in Part 1 these excerpts are from Jim Berg with my thoughts added in brackets.

Pressure Cookers Go Ka-Boom--Part 2

Why do you suppose our view of God is so deficient?

• Our hearts are not pure. They become so cluttered with sin and worldliness that we don't see God. "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." --Matthew 5:8

• "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." --Romans 10:17 This is more than attending church faithfully but studying in God's Word daily.

A believer with a renewed mind accepts God's purposes for pressure.

• "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." --2 Corinthians 4:16-18 [We often lose sight of eternal values by focusing on our surrounding circumstances.]

• "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." --Hebrews 12:1-3 ["great cloud of witnesses"--People are watching our example in how we deal with difficult situations. So as Christians, we must look to Christ for our example. He endured much more when He was on earth then we ever will. ]

• "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience." James 1:2-3 [Everything has a greater purpose.]

• "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:" --1 Peter 1:6-7 [People highly esteem gold--it is often coveted in the gain of much wealth. But from God's perspective gold is pavement for His roads and to Him we are valued far greater. The trials of our faith are for the purpose of cleaning out imperfections so that we might being honor and glory to God.]

A mature believer understands God's love, grace and sustaining power. He knows how to pray. He sees life from God's perspective. This perspective adds an extra quality of endurance in life that sustains any load God places upon it.

[I decided to look up the meaning for sustain --To keep in existence; maintain. To supply with necessities or nourishment; provide for. To support from below; keep from falling or sinking. To support the spirits, vitality, or resolution of; encourage. --Since we don't see God as always being with us, we often take the lead as a "pilot" in our life. Or we might think God is the "pilot" and we are the "co-pilot." But because God is God. He is always good. He is there to supply our needs through love and grace. God will sustain us. We don't have to "pilot or co-pilot" through our trials. If we trust God to be the "sole pilot" in our life and its trials, we won't be exploding from the pressures of them.]

Pressure Cookers Go Ka-Boom! Part 1

[Let me ask, "Why is it that right after I blow it big time, God gives me a devotion over it?" This was for me --a good lesson to be learned. So if you're reading this you can reap from it before going through the pressure cooker lesson yourself. Oh, you've been through it too! Well, I hope you didn't fail as miserably as I did.] This except is taken from Jim Berg and God's Word.

Looking at Pressure Biblically:

• Many people do not handle well the pressure that is God's Will for them because they are already overloaded with the pressures of a burdened conscience. Our sin blocks God's ability to help us.


• Are we over committed? Have we assumed responsibilities outside the Will of God? These added activities and responsibilities may not be harmful in themselves but they take up too much time and energy. They are usually added to meet some personal desire and may not be God's Will for the present. These become "weights" that we must "lay aside." --Hebrews 12:1

A believer with a renewed mind sees every pressure and resource from God's perspective. A Christian's spiritual needs can never be "overdrawn" like there was insufficient funds to take care of the need. God gives unlimited protection to do those things that are His Will. [Wow, Hallelujah, Amen!!! So why am I always trying to deal with things by myself???? Oh me :( God has promised to supply all that we need for godly living--including wisdom, grace & strength.]

• "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue." --2 Peter 1:3


• "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:" --2 Corinthians 9:8


• "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." --2 Corinthians 12:9-10

[This is not all that I have learned. I'll have more postings on "Pressure" to come.]

Are They Our Harmless Little Secret?

by Susan Verstraete

She was an intimate friend, and I was in her confidence from the beginning. She was feisty and quite pretty, but not in a fussy way. Life dealt her some hard blows, but she was self-sufficient and didn't need a man to take care of her—or at least, so she thought. I could have told her the right man would be the answer to all her problems, but she never seemed to listen. I suffered with her through tragedy and trembled when her life was in peril. And I felt a vicarious delight when he came on the scene—the strong, handsome, masculine hero that would rescue her from her lonely, cold existence and teach her all about real love. Oh, and I almost forgot—they went to church sometimes.

That's the plot, more or less, of every Christian romance novel I've ever read. In the past, I read a lot of them. If you are like most believing women I know, at some point you've read one, too. Obviously someone is reading them. One major Christian bookseller has over 2,000 current titles listed in this category. There are several clubs that send members a new Christian romance novel every week. While you are waiting for the mailman to deliver the next selection, you can surf to an author fan site or one of dozens of sites that review and suggest books in this genre.

So, is this a harmless area of Christian liberty? I'll let you decide. But it wouldn't hurt to look more carefully at what we are reading and how it might—just might—be a problem for some of us.

Have you turned off your intellect? When researchers asked women why they read Christian romance, an overwhelming majority said they valued the books because they inspired an emotional response. That's not necessarily wrong, but we need to be discerning even when reading fiction. For example, whole series of novels are written that are "Christian" in name only. The characters are practical atheists who may attend church, but their faith does not impact their decisions. We don't want to passively accept this as normative Christian behavior.

We also have to remember that in these books, God behaves in the way the author causes Him to behave. The theology illustrated in the book is always fallible because the author is fallible. It's easy to get discouraged when we read over and over about God speaking audibly to the characters in a novel, or when we see that their loved ones always get saved before the last chapter. It's also worth mentioning that some romantic situations in these books may actually be adultery, depending on the author's view of divorce and remarriage. If you read them, do so with your head as well as your heart, and don't let them shape your understanding of God.

Does it teach idolatry? I know that sounds harsh, but hear me out. If the heroine in your novels is always saved by a lover, that's a false redemption. Christ is our Redeemer, and God is our ever-present help in time of trouble. Our hope is in Christ, not in Prince Charming. No mere man can fix all our problems. Accepting this idolatrous view of romantic relationships will cause you to place pressures on your husband that will end in deep disappointment, if not disaster. Only Jesus can be your Savior.

Is it changing your expectations? This is a subtle problem and nearly impossible to self-diagnose. Do you think that God will always wrap up all the loose ends in your life in a timely manner? Do you expect your life to always be exciting, or your work always fulfilling? Should you always be the center of attention? Do you fantasize about being rescued by a man from a situation in which you feel helpless? If so, you may have been influenced by reading Christian romances.

Is it a form of emotional adultery? God has designed our relationship with Him, the marriage relationship and our relationships in the church to meet our deep need for emotional intimacy. We may unintentionally circumvent this plan by vicariously identifying with heroine after heroine in these novels, selfishly meeting our own emotional needs instead of letting those needs drive us into real, sometimes messy, relationships.

Is it a steady diet? Finishing a Christian romance novel is a little like taking the last bite of a hot fudge sundae. We usually feel a little sad that it's over. The fantasy has ended and we return to our comparatively boring, unglamorous, meat-and-potatoes lives. The temptation is, of course, to immediately pick up a new book and immerse ourselves in a new fantasy.

In the same way that we should not allow a steady diet of hot fudge sundaes, we should not allow ourselves a steady diet of popular fiction. If we do so, we miss the chance to read material that will teach us good theology, help us grow as believers, and develop realistic expectations about relationships and spirituality.

Instead, I urge you to try reading biographies of Christian women like Ann Judson, Amy Carmichael or Sarah Edwards. Many women have found the books Stepping Heavenward and Pilgrim's Progress to be helpful works of fiction. Ask your pastor or a trusted older woman in your church to recommend more titles. Challenge yourself to read books of substance.

[Have you ever noticed yourself getting in the habit of doing something without even questioning it like........how it is filling our mind? What kind of an impact it could be making in our thinking and outlook? I thought this article was a very good reminded for us to reevaluate the things we do in our life.]

Forgiveness & Healing

Jennifer wrote a very good blog posting on forgiveness that I think you ought to check out --http://daughtersofthemosthigh.blogspot.com/2010/06/forgive-and-let-go.html. I appreciate her transparency as she shared her heart on forgiveness. It is a very difficult thing when we try to deal with our hurt feelings. The longer we hold our hurts the harder it seems to forgive. Reading Jennifer’s blog reminded me of my own struggle with forgiveness. So I thought I would post my story and how God worked in my heart.

I had a very hard time forgiving my father over many issues through my upbringing. How can I explain to you my hurt emotions and how deeply they became rooted through the years? It was through many ways I felt unloved and rejected by my father. He was a very self-centered man though he was married to my mother and had four daughters. He preferred to spend his time drinking and playing with his toys—boats, fishing, motor cycle, snow mobile etc. He was always upset when Mom asked for money to buy food or material to sew us clothes. You see he worked hard for his money and didn’t like it going to such things. I don’t ever remember Dad being around for our birthdays or that he ever said I love you. I grew up believing he loved his good times drinking and toys better than us. I guess you could say it felt somewhat like abandonment even though he lived with us. Each of us developed emotional scars in our heart living with Dad. I’m not telling you any of that stuff for sympathy or pity, but just to highlight points in painting a small picture of what caused my heart to harden with unforgiveness. When Mom & Dad divorced I remember the day I vowed I would never forgive him and cut him out of my life.

All of that happened in my life before I got saved and became a believer. Then several years later during a revival message God smote my heart hard that I needed to forgive Dad. I wrestled with God many times before I surrendered in my heart to forgive him. God showed me I could use Philippians 4:13 in this matter of forgiveness. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” So I asked God even though my heart didn't feel capable of forgiving Dad I asked for strength through Christ to work the forgiveness in my heart. And when I had those moments of feeling used or rejected by Dad again. I prayed again for Christ strength in forgiveness and He always did help me when I had trouble forgiving on my own.

You may be asking yourself if my relationship ever changed with Dad. And the answer would be both, yes and no. I tried to bring Dad back into my life. I wrote him letters, sent cards and pictures of his grandkids. But there always seemed to be a wall between us. In Aug ’01 my uncle called with the news Dad had a major stroke. At the time I was living in Idaho. I knew it would be the only time in our hearts where Dad & I wouldn’t have any walls up. So the next day I flew home to South Dakota to see Dad. He was very surprised to see me walk into his hospital room. He started crying, I started crying and we held each other for 5 minutes before the nurse interrupted us and caused the moment to end. That will always be a sweet memory for me. Did Dad ever say I love you? No. Was our relationship better after that? No. Dad lived six more years before he passed on. But I will always be thankful for the lesson God gave me on forgiveness and I will always be thankful for those 5 minutes in the hospital. Five minutes I would have never gotten if I had not forgiven Dad.

How Well Do You Smell Smoke?

I read this illustration this morning that just really hit home for me. It started out by pointing out how "the real culprit that hinders our usefulness to God is any manifestations of the flesh in our lives." We cannot be sensitive to the flesh that rules in someone else's life when we are living a fleshly life ourselves. It then continued with this example......

Most people who smoke do not realize how keenly nonsmokers can smell cigarette smoke. A smoker may go into a nonsmoking building and try to light up in the restroom for a couple of quick-puffs. He does not think that others will smell it because of the exhaust fans in the bathroom. Every nonsmoker in the area can tell within minutes, however, that someone has lit a cigarette. The smoker doesn't smell smoke as keenly as the nonsmoker.

The same is true when we are indulging in the flesh. Our impact is a poor example and we are less apt to notice the fleshly heart of someone else. We will not pick up on the attitudes, words, or choices the reveal a self-centered heart (that of our own and someone else's.) Fleshly living will only become further entrenched in our hearts making any change in the future that much harder to make. Just like a smoker has a hard time quitting the habit of smoking.

But as a believer we know we are not enslaved to the pull of our flesh. We have the strength of Christ to resist when we ask for His help. So the question that you and I must ask ourselves is......"Have I been listening to God as He has tried to disciple me by His Spirit into a life toward spiritual maturity and usefulness to Him?" Ouch! Help me, Lord!

Order Out of Chaos

Did you have chores as a kid? Did you hate them as much as I did? Did you try to cut corners to get them done quickly? Then did you have to do them all over again causing you to be at your chores twice as long? As a parent do you find yourself assigning chores to your children? And why would you do that when you know how much you hated them when you were younger?

Hopefully through the years of doing chores and maturing we have learned the value of orderliness it brings out of chaos. Having chores teaches law and order which is foundational for the developement of civilized and productive people. Chores teaching our children to take orders from authorities and to value orderliness. But they are not techniques in themselves that would guarantee godliness. They are merely examples of the kind of structure used to restrain the flesh from its natural impulses. This daily training of chores and orderliness helps in the application toward submissiveness in godly living. Submission that can show a spiritual application toward God-dependence and self-denial because one is not left to himself to do as he wishes.

Without orderliness we would have chaos. The chaotic person's life is lived by haphazard efforts to accomplish things that press at him the most or by the spontaneity of doing whatever pleases him at the moment. Oftentimes in this sort of chaos we would see many projects started but never finished. A person who lives like this is living to please himself and for the moment. He is not a productive person in our society and he are not useful to God.

So even though we hated chores as a kid we know they were good for us. They are also good for our children today. Doing chores is learning orderliness which will make them better people. And most of all can lead them to be useful and productive for God too.

Kindergarten Basics For Christianity

One of the most basic of lessons that we learn in kindergarten, or should have learned by then, is respect for authority. This kindergarten basic is so important in our relationship with God. Through it we gain victory over the flesh, which gets us in trouble consistently. Without an attitude of sweet submission to authority we will remain governed by the flesh and remain in ignorance of how wonderful God can be.

Without the kindergarten basic of submission to authority, we will not deny self and, in so doing, make no real progress in our spiritual growth. In fact, we will struggle constantly and feel discouraged. We will want to blame God for our problems, just like self wants to blame any authority for our problems, because we fail to see that self is at fault.

Once we have learned this kindergarten basic, we will be able to take “no” for an answer from God because we have learned to accept it from the God-given authorities in our lives. We know that the authority has the responsibility to make decisions, which may be contrary to ours. With this understanding, and knowing that God knows more than we know, we can accept “no” from God cheerfully. We can also confidently obey Him immediately, even if we don’t agree or understand.

This obedience is more than just an outward compliance to the demand of authority to avoid desired consequences. God intends that obedience be based on our love for God and thus His commands are not grievous "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." --1 John 5:3 Self-denial is the practice within the heart that says "no" to what the sinful heart wants for itself at that time. It is treating self as if it no longer has any influence on us.

This most basic of concepts brings the greatest of rewards. This is opposite of our selfish thinking, which brings pain, frustration, doubt and discouragement. Trust God because we simply cannot live our lives our own way and find contentment and fulfillment. God is in charge and we are not our own masters "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." --1 Corinthians 6:20

Godly obedience is the foundation for everything else in the Christian life.

[Yesterday I was trying to put my thoughts together on this subject but my mind was so disattracted with plans I am working out for my mother's 80th birthday party/ family gathering. So I asked my husband to look at my draft. He did such a good job of expounding on my seed thoughts that I am posting what he said. So this blog was a duo effect from both of us.]

The Quiet Sermon

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.

It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastors visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.

The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead.

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The Pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday."

Exactly & With Perfection

Do not give into sadness or desperation for what you’re going through today. God knows how you feel....... God knows exactly and with perfection what is being allowed to happen to you in your life at this precise moment.

God’s purpose for you is simply perfect. He wants to show you things that only you can understand by living what you are living, and by being in the place you are now.

I realize some of you may have already read these two paragraphs in my facebook notes but as I continued to think on things this morning it reminded me of Pastor's message last night.

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." --Philippians 4:6 Once we have prayed and given it to God we are not to waste anymore thought on the circumstances that would cause us to fret.

Everything is to be given over to God. Trusting Him because He has a precise purpose for what He allows. And with the purpose is a spiritual lesson for us to grow by in the end results. So knowing this we can have "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." --Philippians 4:7

I understand how it is when we get sad or in despair, fretful or anxious. But it is clear God understands that too because He tells us in Philippians 4:8-9 how to occupy our thoughts instead of fretting. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."..........through the problems going on in your life.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Let me share with you how the Lord has turned this birthday into a fabulous day (and it's not even noon yet).

Since the beginning of the year I have been dreading my birthday. I didn't even want to whisper what age I would be turning. As this day drew closer the dread only seemed to grow. Through this week though not much has even been said about my birthday. Was my family going to forget it this year. Part of me thought what a relief no big 50th "over the hill" party but did I really want it to be forgotten all together? They do love me, don't they????

This morning other than the cat and Chico I'm all alone in the house. But as I came up the stairs I was greeted by a big, beautiful helium balloon, a frappuccino in the refrigerator, text messages on my cell phone and emails on the computer. Wow! I guess no one wants me to forget I've turned 50 today. I appreciated their efforts in refraining from the choruses of tedious and obnoxious wise cracks about my age. It all touched my heart and I was ready to hold my head up high and declare my age with pride.

Last night I was talking to sweet Hazel as I drove her back to the retirement home after church. She is 81yrs and she mentioned there is a lady in the home who is 106yrs old. I pointed out she'll have to live 25 more years to reach that age. She said, "Oh, I hope not. I'm old enough now...." Today I'm thinking I have 31 years to go before I'm Hazel's age and 56 years before I would be Miss Marty's age--that's like another whole life time to go.--And then I realize, "Man, I'm young!"

I appreciate how the Lord brought my thinking into the right perspective regarding my age. Besides what is age when we look to all eternity that is ahead. As another verse of the birthday song goes "Happy Birthday to you, Only one will not do, Born again means salvation, How many have you?" I have two! On June 3, 1960 I was born through a physical birth and then on July 18, 1982 I was born again through a spiritual birth. And with that second birth I will enjoy some fabulous birthdays through all eternity. So I ask you whether you're 50 or 5250...... what does it matter cuz if you're born again you are in the Lord's hands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are You Adrift?

Without a continual check against a known standard [God's Word] we tend to drift [in the flesh].

Can you remember a time when you were floating on an inner tube? Just relaxing and soaking in the sun. Listening to the sounds of birds and nature. Then the next thing you realized you have drifted quite some distance from shore and safety. It happened so gradually that you hadn't noticed you had drifted at all. We will drift just like that in our spiritual walk too if we don't stay tethered to God. When we drift from God we move into dangerous waters and we're no longer safe. I recently had a lesson on how quickly one can drift from missing just a few days of my time with God. The thing is we can get back on course if we want by reattaching our tether to God.

This is why regular, daily times with God and regular attendance at a Bible-preaching, doctrinally sound church are crucial for the survival of every believer. Those who are "forsaking the assembling of [them]selves together" will find that spiritually they are drifting off course. The human heart needs a constant exposure of God's Word to reprove the heart's current direction and show when or if it may have gone off course.

The Garbage Truck Story

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded and missed the other car by just inches!

The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really friendly.

So I asked, "Why did you just do that? That guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" That is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,

So... "Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't."

Life is....10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is for everyone...we are in charge of our attitude