“the”
A panda walked into a café and ordered a sandwich. He ate it and then pulled a gun out and shot the waiter. The panda then plunked a badly punctuated wildlife manual onto the table. “Look me up,” he growled as he walked out the door. The wounded waiter opened the book to the entry for panda. It read, “Panda: Large, black and white bear-like mammal native to China. Eats, shoots & leaves.” This story illustrates the unfortunate consequences of a misplaced comma (the book should have read, “Eats shoots and leaves”).
people or God?
I n every realm and relationship I want people to think well of me. I’m tempted to please people, especially when they give me affirmation. I can often tell if I’ve met a person’s expectations by the look on his face or the tone of her voice. But, by God’s grace, I’ll stake my claim that I’m a former addict of man’s opinion, for I believe God is greater than any pull I might feel to please others.
unhappy at work
I have a friend who had been unhappy at work. He told me that no matter how hard he tried, his boss was completely unreasonable. Ultimately, he was fired. An acquaintance who knows both my friend and his boss told me he feels that it was my friend’s issues that led to his dismissal. So what’s the truth? My guess is that it’s a mixture of the two viewpoints. But here’s one thing we can know without question: Being unhappy in one’s work can lead to some sad results.
love hurts
Olivia Wilde is a film star who divorced her Italian prince because their marriage was requiring more effort and returning less fun. “I don’t think love should be work,” the actress told an interviewer, “My parents have been married for 35 years. They said, ‘You have to work at it. That’s what it takes.’ But we tried, and it wasn’t…
dirty jobs
Spencer Johnson, author of Who Moved My Cheese? stated in an article: “I believe research may one day show that the only long-lasting motivation will come from employees who bring it to work in the form of God, spirituality, or something else that causes them to rise to a higher purpose.” Long before Dr. Johnson came to that conclusion, the apostle Paul said that slaves (employees) and masters (employers) should be motivated by a higher purpose in their jobs—their relationship with Jesus.
May 10, 2010
What is your top motivation in life? How does it affect the way you live?
cause celebs
A majority of today’s celebrities have a cause. Whether it’s cancer research, animal rights, human rights, global warming, or a myriad of other charitable undertakings, countless high-profile actors and professional athletes have sought to use their platform of popularity to evoke change.
Instead of considering the impetus behind these stars’ good deeds, however, let’s look at our motivation and the…
Jesus' motivation
So, what motivates you? People-pleasers are inspired by praise. "Type A" personalities love to create projects and relish in seeing each task accomplished along the way. Some impoverished people are simply seeking their next meal-motivated by the need to survive.
Speaking of food, when the disciples encouraged Jesus to eat after a morning of travel, He said, "My nourishment comes from…
