The following was taken from a copy of Leaves of Gold, given to my father-in-law in 1963.
Verbs-”No one really knows what it is to live until he can truly say these eleven great verbs of life: I am, I think, I know, I feel, I wonder, I see, I believe, I can, I ought, I will, I serve. Life is but the process of learning through daily experience the meaning of these eleven wonderful little verbs of life and acquiring the personal power of each:
I AM: the power of self-knowledge,
I THINK: the power to investigate.
I KNOW: the power to master facts.
I FEEL: the power to appreciate, to value, and to love.
I WONDER: the power of reverence, curiosity, worship.
I SEE: the power of insight, imagination, vision.
I BELIEVE: the power of adventurous faith.
I CAN: power to act and skill to accomplish.
I OUGHT: the power of conscience, the moral imperative.
I WILL: will power, loyalty to duty, consecration.
I SERVE: power to be useful, devotion to a cause.”
-George Walter Fiske
These verbs are quite powerful in nature, and as you think about how each one impacts your life, you become rather amazed that you are what you say you are. For instance, if you say, “I can,” that opens up a wide range of opportunities. You believe enough in yourself to acknowledge that you can, in fact, do wonderful things. “I can” because I have the power to accomplish great things. When was the last time you thought, “I can”? Perhaps today is when you acknowledge that you can do hard things. Never doubt that you have been placed on earth at this particular time in order for God to work through you to do His will.
As I read through the list of verbs, I wondered who Mr. Fiske was and how he had the insight to write this interesting list. Here is what I discovered, “George Walter Fiske was a Congregational minister for some years in Maine and Massachusetts before taking a position in 1907 as a theology professor (later dean) in the School of Theology at Oberlin College, where he stayed until retirement in the nineteen thirties. He was educated at Hartford Theological Seminary and Amherst College and graduated in 1898 with a BD from Hartford and an MA from Amherst. He later got a PhD from Boston University in 1925.”
I can’t help but think that Mr. Fiske wrote these words to encourage, inspire, or perhaps challenge some of his colleagues or even personal friends. We are all learning about ourselves each day, and if we take the time to truly consider what we have learned, perhaps we will realize that we have the power to be an action verb..
This week, I want to challenge you to consider one of these eleven verbs and concentrate on just one. Consider the power you have to make a life adjustment and then see how your life has changed at the end of the week. Hopefully you can say that you have made a difference in someone’s life, even your own.
Do you have a burden you are carrying with you today? Are you ready to release that burden to God? You know sometimes we carry burdens that we don’t even recognize and yet they seem to have a powerful impact on the way we treat others. A burden you might be carrying around is the need for forgiveness. Perhaps you need to forgive someone, or maybe you need to forgive yourself. Before you can tackle forgiving another, you must look at yourself and lay it all out on the line. Whatever has happened in the past, whatever burden you are holding on to, you must release it and free yourself. It can be complicated and hard to do, and yet it can also be the most freeing thing you can do to move forward with your life.
One of the greatest lessons in the Bible is “The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant”, found in Matthew 18: 21-35. In this parable, Peter comes to Jesus asking, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? (Matthew 18: 21) Peter must have been thinking, you know seven times is a lot, so seven times must be enough right? Seven seemed like a reasonable amount of time to forgive someone, and yet Jesus in all his glorious wisdom tells Peter, hold on a minute. Seven times is not nearly enough. Jesus very plainly tells Peter, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18: 22) That’s a whole lot of forgiveness going on! Have you ever counted the times you have forgiven someone? Typically we say, “I forgive you,” and then move on, and yet if you said, “I forgive you 77 times,” hopefully by the 77th time, you will mean it.
When your spouse does something that upsets you, or your child disobeys you, or a friend disappoints you, would you be willing to say, “I forgive you, 77 times?” Probably not, you might get annoyed by the 20th time and begin to get angry, but if you stick with it, by the 50th time you might start to mean it, and then by the 77th time, you take a breath and smile. You are now ready to move forward.
Jesus took on all our burdens, that’s something to ponder on for a moment. His sacrifice on the cross is all about forgiveness. Even in his death he said, “Father forgive them, ….” (Luke 23: 34) Forgiveness is the self-sacrificial act of love. When you truly love someone, forgiving comes naturally. It’s just what you do, you choose to no longer hold on to that burden of resentment and release it into God’s hands.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:32
Perhaps that is the challenge for today, release your burdens, and forgive, because in the end, “it’s forgiveness.”
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Time is defined as “the measured or measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues. Time is measured in terms of events which succeed one another from the past through the present to the future.” Ultimately, time goes on and is the duration from which all things happen.
As I go back in time over six months ago, I was a substitute teacher getting up at 5:30 am preparing for the day as a reading intervention specialist. My day was consumed with blocks of time dedicated to helping young students learn to read and to enhance their reading comprehension. I was constantly looking at my watch to determine when I needed to finish up with one group of students and prepare for the next group. Time was essential, I needed to be on time to pick up students for their reading intervention. If I was too early, I had to wait, (wasting time), if I was late in returning the students to their class, they would have to catch up with their workload. Time marches on, it doesn’t wait for you, you have to keep up with it!
“God will bring judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.”
Ecclesiastes 3:17
I recently took the time off challenge. I put my watch aside and didn’t care what time it was. I turned off the morning alarm and waited for the sun to shine through the window, alerting me that a new day had begun. There were moments that I would look down at my wrist checking the time only to discover that I wasn’t wearing a watch. Time didn’t have the same control over my life as it did before. Perhaps you can challenge yourself today and take off your watch or refrain from looking at whatever device you use to tell time and live in the moment.
Don’t allow time to confine your existence for no matter how hard you try, you can’t control the clock. Seconds move quickly, minutes pass by and hours can seem as if they last forever, and yet mornings turn into afternoons, days turn into weeks, and before you know it, years have passed you by. And yet, in the end, time rules all….
The book of Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time for everything.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: A time to be born and a time to die, A time to plant and a time to uproot, A time to kill and a time to heal, A time to tear down and a time to build, A time to weep and a time to laugh, A time to mourn and a time to dance, A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, A time to embrace and a time to refrain, A time to search and a time to give up, A time to keep and a time to throw away, A time to tear and a time to mend, A time to be silent and a time to speak, A time to love and a time to hate, A time for war and a time for peace…. He had made everything beautiful in its time.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
So often we find ourselves planning for our days, the week ahead, and even months in advance, and yet just as we make plans, our lives change, time presses on but events and circumstances are out of our control.
James, asks us to ponder the question, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life?” He further states this very sober obvious state of our lives, “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:13-14) Therefore let us spend our time here on this earth wisely and with great discernment. Let time be your guide, not your burden.
Use your time wisely, making the most of every opportunity. (Ephesians 5: 15-17) Our time on earth may be limited but our time in eternity is infinite. We need to keep in mind though, that the way we use our time on earth will ultimately decide our time in eternity. We say then with full confidence, “I trust in you, O Lord; You are my God. My times are in your hands….” (Psalm 31:14-15)
Allow God to guide you in using your time with purpose, conviction, and confidence that there is a season for everything and His time is just right.
“Being the best loser takes talent, just as being the best winner does.” – Mr. Fred Rogers
For over 50 years, Mr. Rogers was welcomed into our homes with his caring, comforting presence each day. He reminded us that there was so much more in ourselves that united us than divides us. Through his beloved PBS series, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, he taught us to value friendships, respect each other, be liked just the way we are, and honesty is always the best policy.
In light of all that has happened in our country over the last year, I often wonder, what would Mr. Rogers say to the children of the world today? What words of wisdom, comfort, and guidance would he tell our children so that they could somehow process what is happening in the world? Perhaps he would say these words again, “When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary.”
Talking with our children about their feelings is so important, and explaining to our children that what we do with our feelings will ultimately define who we are as a person. It’s ok to have certain feelings, it’s not ok to hurt someone or cause damage. It’s ok to be happy and sometimes your happiness can be the light in a darkened room.
I wanted to share with you an excerpt from a Public Service Announcement Mr. Rogers gave following the events of September 11, 2001.
“If you grew up in our Neighborhood, you may remember how we sometimes talked about difficult things. There were days…even beautiful days…that weren’t happy. In fact, some were really sad.
Well, we’ve had a lot of days like that in our whole world. We’ve seen what some people do when they don’t know anything else to do with their anger.
I’m convinced that when we help our children find a healthy way of dealing with their feelings that don’t hurt them or anyone else-we’re helping to make our world a safer, better place.
I would like to tell you what I often told you when you were much younger. I like you just the way you are.
And what’s more, I’m so grateful to you for helping the children in your life to know that you’ll do everything you can to keep them safe and to help them express their feelings in ways that will bring healing in many neighborhoods.
Oh how I miss Mr. Rogers, he always knew the exact thing to say to comfort us and guide us when we needed it most. He so keenly said, “It’s very dramatic when two people come together to work something out. It’s easy to take a gun and annihilate your opposition but what is exciting to me is to see people with differing views come together and finally respect each other.”
That seems like such a simple thing to do, come together and respectfully discuss your differences. What a difference that thought could have made in the events that took place on the steps of the capital building in Washington, DC. last week. if only people would respect one another, this world would be a much better place.
“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”
What we need as a people of the “united” states is to remember that we all have feelings, we all need to have self-control, we all want to make our lives better by showing kindness and compassion to one another, we all can make a difference in the lives of our neighbors, we all want to be needed, we all want to be loved, but most importantly, l believe we all need to respect each other, our differences, our similarities, we all have hearts that bleed.
Perhaps what Mr. Rogers would say to our children is this, I know you have seen some scary things happening in the world today, but even with all the bad out there, I want to assure you that there is good in the world. There are many kind people who are making a difference and so can you. But first, we must learn to listen to one another, really listen and try to understand that everyone has an opinion and we must respect that their thoughts are important. Always remember you are loved, you have a purpose and you are not alone. The world has turned upside down, but you can turn it right side up again.
What do the ages, 33, 55 and the 70’s all have in common? Research suggests that these are considered the “happiest age”. Reference: www.happify.com.
When our children were little we used to watch the Mickey Mouse Club on the Disney channel. Each episode would begin with a good morning song that went something like this:
Wake up it’s a wonderful morning, we’re off on a wonderful day, Good morning, good morning to you, it’s going to be a great day. The sun is shining and we’re feeling fine, let’s get up and get on our way The birds are singing and you can hear the whole world say….. Here’s to a wonderful morning, let’s get this show on the road, good morning, good morning to you, it’s going to be a great day!
You just couldn’t help but put a smile on your face when you heard that song first thing in the morning. Some days it’s just all we can do to pull the sheets off and slide out of bed to start the day. There are other days when the sun is shining through your window, you just can’t wait to open the blinds and greet the day. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could wake up with a smile on our face and be ready to face the day? Well, that’s what the Psalmist was trying to convey in this passage:
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
Every day is a gift from God, we should rejoice and be glad. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees about tomorrow, so we must learn to live each day to its fullest. Even when there is turmoil in the world when you find yourself feeling less than joyful, it really is important to give thanks to God for He has given you another day to live.
This might be the day that you make a difference in someone else’s life. You might be the only bright spot in their day, just by allowing someone to cut in life in front of you at the grocery store, or perhaps you might offer to pay for the person’s order at the drive-through as you get your morning coffee or tea. Maybe you reach out to that friend that you haven’t spoken to in a while. Whatever you choose to do, bring some happiness to someone’s life today and in turn, you will be blessed with happiness yourself.
What makes you rejoice and provides you with a joyful heart?
What are some of the things that make you rejoice, what fills your heart with joy and gladness? If you get excited when someone brings you a homemade baked goodie, then why not bake something yourself and pass it along to a neighbor? You might be a dog lover and it brings you joy when a dog is adopted from a shelter. Perhaps you could volunteer at an animal shelter, caring for dogs. There’s no greater feeling than watching someone meet their forever pet at a shelter. Knowing that a dog is being cared for in a loving home might be just the joy that you need in your life right now. Spending time with a dear friend may fill your heart with gladness, even though we may not be able to meet in person a phone call, Facetime or even a Zoom session can fill your soul with joy.
I pray that you will find whatever you choose to fill your heart with joy and gladness. Our days can be filled with so much stress and anxiety that if you just take a moment to rejoice and be glad, put a smile on your face, all the other worries and concerns will melt away.
God will lead you to a place of happiness and peace even amongst the chaos that exists in our world today. Just remember, this is the day, not tomorrow and not yesterday, but today is the day that you can rejoice and be glad. God has given you this day to live and be happy. Choose happiness today!
Those were the words that a father yelled out to his children every day as they went off to school. Day after day he would make this request of his children, GO TO SCHOOL, MAD! The children seemed quite content and happy about going to school. Quite puzzling for the neighbor who would see the children getting on the bus with smiles on their faces. Clearly, they didn’t seem mad at all.
After several weeks of hearing this command, a neighbor decided to have a talk with the dad. “Why are you telling your children to go to school MAD?” The dad grinned and said, “Oh they are not going to school mad, or angry, instead they are going to school to MAKE ADIFFERENCE, hence, Go to school MAD!”
“Oh”, the neighbor replied, “I get it.”
What are you doing today that makes a difference? How are you teaching your children to make a difference whether they are in school, or on the playground, or playing with a friend? Can children really make a difference? The answer is a resounding YES they can make a difference.
Here are a few suggestions to help you and your children make a difference:
Be a good listener – A listening ear is a rare treasure. So often we want to interrupt and share our thoughts before the talker has a chance to finish what they are trying to say. Listening requires restraint, and compassion to allow the other person time and space to share their ideas or thoughts.
He who answers before listening-that is his folly and his shame.
Proverbs 18:13
Follow directions – This is not only so important for children but for adults as well. How many times have you wanted to put together an IKEA project without following directions only to discover that you have to start all over again? One of the main lessons a student learns in school is to follow directions from the teacher, if they don’t they will learn that there are consequences when directions are not followed.
Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong….
Exodus 23:2
Be respectful – RESPECT, we can spell it but do we really know how to show it? Unfortunately, the lines of respectful behavior have been crossed. When I was at school, if you saw the principal walking down the hall, you would immediately strengthen up and be quiet. Today when students see their principal walking the halls many don’t even acknowledge that there is an adult in the same hallway, much less than it is their principal. Their actions and conversations continue with little respect.
Show proper respect to everyone….
1 Peter 2:17
Share – With many students being isolated at home and away from the classroom during the pandemic, the concept of sharing may be quite new once they return to school.
And do not forget to do good and share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Hebrews 13:16
Cooperate – Wouldn’t life be so much easier if we would all cooperate with one another?
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus
Roman 15:5
Be compassionate – A compassionate heart is one that shares in another’s joy and sorrows, without being judgemental.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 5:32
Be a leader – Some people are just born leaders, and others become leaders out of frustration or finally accepting that they have a voice that needs to be heard. You and your child can be a leader in the schools, and in the communities in which you live. You can make a difference by supporting a local nonprofit or if you see a need that has not been met, start your own nonprofit.
Let us, therefore, make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
Romans 14:19
Be a supportive follower – If you are not gifted with leadership abilities, then recognize that being a supportive follower is just as important. A follower who encourages a leader is perhaps a wise soul that understands that each person has a responsibility to this world.
…never tire of doing what is right.
2 Thessalonians 2:13
Have patience – You can truly make a difference in someone’s life if you just have a little patience. Whether it be on the roadway or at the grocery store, just take a moment and don’t be swept away by the demands of the day. If a person cuts you off in traffic or if a classmate jumps in front of your child in line, no worries. Just let it be, there’s grace in knowing that you are in control of your response, and let that response be filled with patience and kindness. And better yet, pray for that person in traffic that they will get to their destination safely, and for the child eager to get to be first in line, just remember that we will all get there at the same time. First or last, what does it really matter?
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Colossians 3:12
Be thoughtful – Someone who really makes a difference is someone who is thoughtful This means that they are actually thinking about other people and less about themself.
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
Romans 12:3
Wherever you are and wherever you go, be MAD (Make A Difference) with a smile on your face and see how others respond. You never know, you just might help make someone MAD too!
I want to leave you with these final words from Philippians 4:8:
Whatever is true, Whatever is noble, Whatever is right, Whatever is pure, Whatever is lovely, Whatever is admirable -If anything is excellent or praiseworthy -think about such things.
Be willing to go out into the world and make a difference, or in today’s world, you can still make a difference from your home. The possibilities are endless.
