The light on my phone began flashing while I was in an online conference. Voice mail. Voice mail is the ultimate game of office tag. I think that’s the reason that my stomach churns a bit when I see that light flashing. I know that the message waiting for me will, in all likelihood, obligate [...]
Friday, March 18, 2011
I was reminded several times this week about systems that have failed. That line of conversation would begin a lively discussion at the local coffee shop. We all have stories about our bad experiences at the hands of someone who blindly obeyed a process even though it was obviously flawed. The truth is that a [...]
Thursday, March 17, 2011
ABC News Correspondent Diane Sawyer flew to the northern regions of Japan to view the scenes of destruction from the earthquake and tsunami. As she, her interpreter, and her videographer walked through a village, they came upon a circle of local citizens. Their chairs were pulled together loosely as they sat and talked and passed [...]
Friday, December 3, 2010
While I don’t always use these exact words, the thought pattern is overly familiar to me. Here’s what goes on in my head: Hmmm. I have just observed you do something that seems to me, without any real thought or discernment, to be something I may not like. In fact, I may not like it [...]
Sunday, November 28, 2010
“You probably don’t remember me.” At that moment, I would have agreed with her assessment, even though her face seemed familiar. She shifted her little boy to her right hip and stepped closer. Other grocery shoppers went on about their business, oblivious to the scene that was unfolding. “Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I saw [...]
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Just over five months ago, I fought to open my eyes and focus on the face of a young woman who was doing her best to explain what my immediate plans were for the afternoon. Over the course of the next hour, I slowly came to the realization that I had been in an automobile [...]
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Special night last week at church. I just didn’t understand before I arrived, how special it was. Over the past year, our church leadership has been committed to the joyous task of coming together to talk and pray about far-reaching things. No, we don’t spend time on facilities and Bible school curriculum and the like. [...]
Hope seen . . . slowly softens the crust of worry. Hope celebrated . . . melts worry away. Melted worry is the compost that feeds faith and destiny.
An abundant life is not one free from worry, but one filled with hope.
Have you ever been in a really big hurry?
Have you ever been in a really big hurry . . . and everything seems to go wrong?
You drop your keys just as you get to the door. You leave your phone on the nightstand. You hit “reply to all” on the email that should have gone to one discreet individual. You can’t seem to hit the trash can with that one wad of paper. You find yourself face-to-face with the one person you don’t “really have time to deal with.”
Frustration builds inside. Anger, dismay, and depression grow like grass in a flower bed. What can you do? What is the most effective action step for the moment.
Slow down.
That’s it. Slow down. Take a breath. Whisper a prayer. Hum a song.
Slowing down allows tension to melt away. Slowing down allows your emotions to moderate. Slowing down allows you to gain control . . . by easing your grip.
So, slow down . . .
“Constantly Pleasant.”
That’s how she was described. Not a person attending the memorial service would have disagreed.
As I sat and listened to the accomplishments of this remarkable person, I was somewhat awestruck by the thought that I had been blessed to know an individual who touched so many and did so much . . . while being constantly pleasant.
What if I could become constantly pleasant? What would that change? How would I change?
Thanks, Colleen. For being constantly pleasant. It’s just one of many ways that God shone through you.
If you’ll just let go, your hands will be free to . . .
If you’ll let go . . . empty your hands of things and your heart of worries . . . you’ll be delighted with what you find in those sacred hollows.
© 2012 joeycope.com. Powered by WordPress.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
2 Comments