Is Convenience Better for YOU?

I know we’ve all heard the phrase “the early bird gets the worm”. Maybe I’ve never been up early enough to witness this, but because of the popularity of this phrase, I’d have to think that it has some validity to it. In my opinion, this phrase insinuates that there are early birds and there are not so early birds. The one that gets up first is the one that eats. I’m not sure how birds rest, but I would imagine that they like their sleep too. I don’t know. The early birds want to eat well, so they get up early, which transcends convenience. The lazy bird will probably end up being the “angry bird”. I had to throw that in there. =)

What was that whole preface about? Laziness plagues A LOT of people (not just birds). Some say it plagues this entire generation. Hearing statements like that get me on my GAME, simply because the guy typing this blog has had and STILL has his fights with laziness. Something SO very easy to fall into is the same thing that can halt SO much forward progress. Putting things off till the next day when it could very well be done right then is DANGEROUS. Acclaimed saxophonist Jimmy Lyons once said: “Tomorrow is the only day in the year that appeals to a lazy man.” Nothing else matters to a lazy individual except the next thing that can be put off. Don’t think so much about convenience, but about what’s BEST. “What is right is often forgotten by what is convenient.” ~Bodie Thoene

Of course there’s a thin line between having rest and being lazy. If you “rest” more than you work, you may want to have something checked out. Famous French author Jules Renard made one of my favorite quotes—“Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.” Though I believe laziness is more than that, the point he made was very profound. Don’t overdose on work, but make sure you ARE working--Especially on those things that you LOVE. If laziness takes you away from what you LOVE to do, laziness has become a part of your being. We don’t want that do we?

Last thought—don’t make excuses for your laziness, just DON’T BE LAZY.

††FIGHTING HARD TO BE A BETTER MAN††

~~M.A.²~~

THE FAMOUS 23....

When I think of the number 23, several thoughts immediately come to mind--The fact that I will be turning 23 in 2012, my favorite athlete of all time Michael Jordan, and probably most often the 23^rd Psalm in the bible. This is one of the most “famous” passages in all of the bible for those who believe it and even those who don’t. In case you’re wondering, that’s the passage that says: “the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want”.

This isn’t a post to dissect the meaning of this passage, but rather to think about why this passage has been made so commercialized and what does it mean to you to “want”. (I guess thinking about that would allude to the meaning) LOL. As humans, it’s only right that we “want” things right? We (generally) “want” what’s best for us and for our family right? If we’re hungry, we want good food right? I “want” to live long. Do you? I don’t personally think that the terms of this “want” means we won’t desire anything, but that we won’t be left lacking. I don’t know what your belief system is, but this is one that has so much HOPE. When thinking about that 23, think about how if the Lord is your Shepherd, that you won’t lack. How AMAZING!

-1 More note about “want”…..

“Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.” ~1 John 2:15-17

Selah

††~~M.A.²~~††

Discipline? Love? Both?

Discipline |ˈdisəplin|-the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.

I wanted to give the denotative meaning of “love” as well, but I was so against it I couldn’t. Even when talking about a personified figured, it talked about Cupid. I have nothing against Cupid, but CMON MAN! It spoke nothing about conditional/unconditional love or any of that as I was expecting, and connected it more with sex. Well, I guess I could have expected that nowadays.

The word “discipline” has a rather negative connotation. Many people I’ve spoken with connect this word to anger. Is this always the case? Can discipline and love be used interchangeably at times? You be the judge. The denotative meaning alludes directly to “using punishment”. If love is the motivation, is it still yet considered a “punishment”? I believe punishment is more commercially correlated with discipline than love. Do you disagree? Disciplining out of almost ANYTHING else is dangerous—especially anger.

Even in the sense of disciplining a child, there’s a conventional and unconventional way of looking at “discipline. I asked a rather broad question of if people “beat” their kids in disciplining them? A friend of mine gave an amazing notion when she said: “I think very few parents know how to use spanking effectively. Many use it when angry and as punishment instead of discipline. Fear becomes the tool instead of love.” She went on to say “As a mom of 4, I have found that fear makes them respect you when you are watching. Discipline out love makes them want to do the right thing even when away from you.” I agree with this notion.

Even in disciplining yourself, it should be done out of LOVE. LOVE is the key. You will see a distinct difference if this becomes your motivation. Try it, see, realize, try again.

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. “
~Frederick Douglass………….Which does love do?

†††††Keep The LOVE Alive†††††

~~M.A.²~~