MuddyPuddles

In going through my “Quotes and Sayings” file I came across quite a few items that have meant enough to me that I took the time and trouble to save them.  I encourage you to pause and think deeply about each one individually.  Reflect on them.  All but one (which is just funny) are very powerful.  These, in large part, sum up my philosophy and approach to life, though I don’t always match up to them as much as I’d like.

• “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity.  An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Sir Winston Churchill

• “Only a crisis–actual or perceived–produces real change.”       Milton Friedman

• “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”  Henry Ford

• “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”  Ben Franklin

• “If you are willing to do only what is easy, life will be hard.  But if you are willing to do what is hard, life will be easy.”

• “I’m going to get completely out of debt–even if I have to borrow the money to do it.”  Leo Mays

• “It is always surprising how small a part of life is taken up by meaningful moments.  Most of them are over before they start, although they cast a light on the future and make the person who originated them unforgettable.  Anna had shined such a light on Siam.”  From “Anna and the King”

• “Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.”  Robert Collier

• “Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.”

• “Frustration is the result of expectation.” (This saying has been posted on my bulletin board for about 20 years and has been instrumental in changing the way I approach life.)

• “One person with courage is a majority.” Henry David Thoreau

• “Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional.  So stick a geranium in your hat and be happy!”  Barbara Johnson

• “Being powerful is like being a lady.  If you have to tell people, you aren’t.”  Margaret Thatcher

• “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Novelist James Baldwin

In my filing cabinet I keep a file called “Quotes and Sayings.”  While going through it today I came across an article that I really needed to see right now.  It’s been a very hectic past few days and this article put things back into perspective.  It follows:

One of my favorite “light-shedding” passages is Mark 12:28-34 because it not only gives the story, but it adds additional events which help us to see where the emphasis should be placed. This passage starts out with,
“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
[29] “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. [30] Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ [31] The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
[32] “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.” (Isn’t it interesting from this side of the cross to see that this teacher of the law was giving Jesus, the Master, a pat on the back? Then the teacher of the law added the following interesting statement,) [33] To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (That seems like a pretty brazen statement for this teacher of the law to be down playing these legalistic requirements. And what was Jesus reaction to this?–
“[34] When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.”

(Was Jesus just confirming that loving God and loving your neighbor was more important than keeping the rules? I think he was. And when you compound that with other passages like the one that said “Sabbath was made for man and not man for the sabbath,” and “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” you start getting the idea that maybe we’ve been placing the emphasis in the wrong place all these years.

One final passage from 1 Peter 4, “Love covers a multitude of sins.” How many sins does sound doctrine cover? If I mess up, I hope I err on the side of love, because I sure don’t want to be a sounding dong or a clanging cymbal. As Jesus told Martha, “Mary has chosen better.”
God Bless,
Dennis