Bring A Better Face
Often times as a teenager, I would look at our family photos and complain that I looked terrible. My father would quickly reply, "If you want a better picture, bring a better face."
I realized later in life that my father was trying to teach me something more than how to take a better picture. He wanted me to know that a poor attitude, whether anger, or upset, or bitterness comes through on our face. When this would happen, he would instruct me to wipe that look off of my face. The problem wasn't with the camera but with my attitude.
In life, the best way to be become a better person is to take on a better attitude. When we "put on Christ" we done ourselves with His character. His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control is expressed on our face.
When that happens, we will take better pictures!
"Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh" (Romans 13:14).
Happy Birthday Pothole!
Chloe Bryan with MASHABLE.COM reports:
Jackson, Mississippi resident Eddie Prosser was tired of the pothole that had graced his neighborhood for a year, unfixed. So he got the city's attention — by throwing the pothole a birthday party.
The delightful display features a festive birthday balloon as well as a giant birthday card reading "Happy birthday, Pothole!" in beautiful script.
To drive the point home, the sign also says "I've been here for over a year!"
Prosser told WJTV News that although the sign was intended as a joke, he really was frustrated with the city's lack of action.
Finally, after local news outlets reported on the pothole party, the city fixed it.
Celebrating a pothole is a strange way to address the problem, but in the case of Eddie Prosser, it was the change of attitude that finally worked.
Is it time for a change of attitude toward the potholes in your life? Instead of sitting around resenting your troubles, maybe it’s time to take a different tactic. The Bible encourages us to follow Mr. Prosser's example when it says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:2, ESV).
Maybe it's time to stop griping, and throw a party instead.
Unrecognized Blessings
There’s a story about a young man who was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car, and knowing his father could afford it, he told his dad on several occasions that it was all he wanted. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, the young man’s father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box.
Curious, but disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man’s name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, “With all your money you give me a Bible?” And then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible behind.
Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was getting quite old and thought perhaps he should go to him. He hadn’t seen his father since that graduation day. But before he could make arrangements, the young man received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and that he needed to come home immediately to take care of things.
When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father’s important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages, when a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer’s name, and on the tag was the date of his graduation along with the words, “Paid In Full.”
How many times do we miss God’s blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? Instead, we should trust His generous heart. We should believe that what He gives will lead to what we need.
"So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him" (Matthew 7:11, NLT).