Posts Tagged ‘Mother Teresa’

10 Ways to Draw Attention to Yourself

Friday, January 20th, 2012
Wanna stand out from the crowd? Here are 10 ways to do so:
* Stand on Wall Street during rush hour and shout, “Hey, everyone, thanks for doing what you do!”
* Commit a front-page crime.
* Try to smuggle a banned substance through airport security.
* Scream, “It’s not my fault! You’ve got the wrong guy!” when airport security drags you into a little room for questioning.
* Threaten the US President on FB and Twitter.
* Dye your hair pink and wear polyester paisley prints to work.
* Write a NYT bestseller.
* Become Mother Teresa #2.
* Clone yourself to look like Pippa Middleton.
* Predict doomsday and then spread the warning worldwide like the guy did last year.
If you’re sick and tired of blending into the crowd, then try one or all of the above.  I guarantee doing so will cause others to notice you. You might even become a household name.

However, you might prefer to play it safer than sorry. If so, here’s another suggestion: Let the Holy Spirit completely fill and control you. It worked for Joseph; it’ll probably work for you, too.

Genesis tells the story of Joseph’s life. He’d been shipped off to Egypt, sold as a slave by his own flesh and blood.  After 13 years of character development, he got his big break when Pharaoh asked him to interpret a couple of disturbing dreams.

Joseph did something that Egypt’s wise men could not do—he told the boss what his dreams meant. Here’s what happened next: “So Pharaoh asked his officials, ‘Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?’ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are’” (Genesis 41:37-39).

Joseph turned heads. He stood out from the crowd not because he, being full of himself, forced others to take notice. On the contrary, he was empty of self and full of the Holy Spirit. His yielded heart made it possible for God to do extraordinary things through him.

You and I might never do something as earth-shattering as Joseph did, but we can still turn heads in our own homes and communities. We can respond with patience and kindness when our kids and spouse irritate us. We can give generously to those in need even though our monthly budget already feels stretched. We can get involved in community affairs and share wise words to help resolve negative issues.

God wants His people to be different than the society in which we live. That difference starts with our being filled and controlled by His Holy Spirit and results in others taking notice. Hopefully it leads to their saying, “There’s something different about you. I want what you have.”

Here’s a prayer for today: “Dear God, empty me of anything that grieves You, and then fill me to overflowing with Your Holy Spirit so that others will see a difference in my life. Set me apart for Jesus’ sake. Amen.”

Your thoughts?

Photo courtesy: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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It’s All about Jesus

Monday, August 29th, 2011

My blog will look different this week ‘cause I’m away from my office for a few days. Enjoy!


“God will never, never, never let us down if we have faith and put our trust in him. He will always look after us. So we must cleave to Jesus. Our whole life must simply be woven into Jesus.” (Mother Teresa)

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Love Deeply

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

Mother Teresa said, “It is easy to love those who are far away. It isn’t always easy to love those who are right next to us. It is easier to offer a dish of rice to satisfy the hunger of a poor person than to fill up the loneliness and suffering of someone lacking love in our own family.”

I believe Mother Teresa’s right. Sometimes it’s easier to, say, fill a shoebox with toys and treats for a child overseas than to address a friend or family member’s needs, especially when that person is difficult to love. Given a choice, I’d rather lavish love long-distance, even if it’s never acknowledged, than risk being misunderstood or used by someone known with a difficult personality. It’s easier to invest in a stranger than in a human sponge who irritates me or absorbs my time and energy with little or no return. Can you relate?

1 Peter 1:22 challenges my attitude: “You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.”

The last phrase pokes me in the conscience. Love each other deeply with all your heart.

Sheesh—if only it read something like this: “Love those who are easy to love. As for the others, well, love them as you can, when you feel like it, and in whatever manner is most comfortable for you.” My life would be much simpler if I could edit and tweak those eight words.

Making my life simple isn’t what God’s about. He’s about making me holy, about making me reflect His character to a watching world. Because He loves deeply from the heart, so must I. In some instances, doing so might prove inconvenient, costly, time-consuming, or downright difficult. No one understands this more than God. And no one’s more qualified to show me how to do it, especially when it seems an impossible task.

Perhaps a good morning prayer would be, “God, please open my eyes to those near me who are lacking love today. Show me how love them deeply from my heart, and then enable me to do it well.” Yes, I think I’ll add this one to the beginning of each day. I wonder how God will answer? Will you pray it, too?

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Welcome!

Monday, January 8th, 2007

We’re a week into the New Year, and I’m determined to fulfill at least one of my resolutions. So here I am, nosediving into the world of blogging. This is yet another learning curve for me, but that’s okay. Learning curves make life interesting, right?

As I’ve thought about my blogging topic, one theme comes to mind. I want this to be a project that encourages women worldwide to discover their giftedness and develop their God-given potential so they can impact the generations to come. I envision including thought-provoking quotes, short interviews, and stories about women whose lives have made/are making a difference. I want to explore the character qualities their lives possess and learn how to emulate them. I want readers to share life lessons that others will find valuable, and for all to be challenged to a deeper faith walk.

Join me in this venture! I’ll kick off with a quote from Mother Teresa: “Let’s be willing to smile at one another, because a smile is the beginning of love. And once we begin to love one another, the desire to do something for one another more naturally follows.”

Imagine that! Sometimes we think we have to do something noteworthy and grand before we’re considered a woman of influence. But Mother Teresa’s words indicate otherwise. We simply need start with a smile. Sheesh — that’s easy. And it can be life-changing for a child whose home is filled with anger, an isolated senior, a frustrated teenager, or a lonely neighbor.

Whatever our schedule holds, let’s be sure to include a smile for those around us. The simple gesture might just lift someone’s fallen spirit, and it will fan the flame of love in our hearts.

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