Tag Archives: Steven Covey

Fresh squeezed

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One of the small joys of summer is Marci’s home-made, fresh squeezed lemonade. It’s a hit around here and knowing it was lovingly made seems to add to the flavor.

 

Our family is big on another type of fresh squeeze; hugs of course. Hugs on seeing each other and hugs when leaving. My mom considers herself a bit of a hug therapist and reckons each of us needs 2 hugs a day just to stay healthy, more to grow happy. 🙂

 

But not all squeezing is welcomed. There’s the financial squeeze, the temperamental squeeze, the relational squeeze, the health squeeze, and so many other life squeezes. In fact there it seems we find ourselves frequently squeezed by the undesired circumstances in life. A flat tire in the rain, a hurtful word come our way, daily pain and disappointment, too much work, or no work at all. Every day we find ourselves squeezed in some way. The pressures brought on by leukemia squeezed both of us quite a bit. The loss of a loved one, or the stress caused by conflict also squeezes us.

 

The important question is, how do we respond when we are squeezed? When you squeeze a fruit, the juice of the fruit comes out. But when we are squeezed, what escapes might not be so sweet. What comes out when you are squeezed? Do even the small disruptions and disappointment bring out anger, disgust, fear, doubt, perhaps even vengeance? Or are you learning to respond with a degree of patience, knowing that this circumstance does not control you, that this too shall pass?

 

The late Steven Covey said one thing that separates man from other animals is the ability to create a reflective gap between a stimulus that provokes us and our reaction to it. In this gap we can train and discipline ourselves to turn to God for His direction. Imagine how things might have been different when Adam was squeezed by the temptation of eating from the forbidden tree, if he would have created a gap and asked his daddy for His advice. Our God-given ability to create a gap when we are squeezed allows us to take a breath, consult the Holy Spirit for His counsel and to choose to follow His nature in us.

 

Ugliness is a choice and so is beauty. The lack of planning how we will respond when squeezed is a plan to choose poorly under pressure. Better to choose and discipline yourself NOW regarding how you will react when squeezed. Joshua said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Can you see how deciding ahead of time helped him to choose well when he was squeezed? The same gift is yours. You don’t have to be a squeeze victim. Choose now to let God’s sweetness come out when you are squeezed.

 

 

Understanding

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Would you like to understand more? Would you like to experience the wisdom that comes from understanding?  We can gain a lot of knowledge and still not have the capacity for actually using it in some practical manner.  But understanding leads to practical application.

Can you gain understanding by learning lots of bits of information? Maybe, but my experience is that understanding comes from the process of contemplating this knowledge, and not just knowledge but God’s Word. It involves purposeful times in your routine to calm yourself and patiently listen to the words of wisdom God has to offer you. Recently Pope Francis noted, “We need also to be patient if we want to understand those who are different from us.” The late Steven Covey also encouraged us to seek first to understand and then to be understood. Why in that order? I wonder if seeking first to understand others helps increase their motivation to listen also to us. Paul writes in Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

This is why loving one another has to go beyond mere words and mere actions. We need to be truly interested in others, not just to see them as a means to achieving our goals. We are told that not everyone is interested in the light. Some would prefer to live in darkness. But I have to think that demonstrating real interest in understanding others is a great way of letting your light shine in the world. How about you?

Go Light Our World – GLOW today.

Finding Balance – Big Rocks

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Work. Family. Home. Physical and spiritual health. Household chores. Taking care of others. Taking care of yourself. Shopping. Paying bills. Time for prayer and meditation. Time for helping others. How do you find balance in your life?

In his book, First Things First, Steven Covey shared the story of The Big Rocks. He tells of an expert who addressed a class of business students, using a visual illustration that conveys an important life lesson for all of us. Taking a one-gallon wide-mouthed canning jar, he placed in it a dozen or so fist sized rocks, asking the students if the jar is full. Most of the class said, “Yes!”

He then pulled out a bucket of gravel and dumped most of the contents into the jar, shaking it until the gravel filled the empty spaces between the big rocks. “Is the jar full now?” he asked the class, to which they replied, “Probably not.”

Pulling out a bucket of sand, he proceeded to pour it in, allowing the sand to fill the spaces between the gravel and the big rocks. “Is it full now?” he asked. “No!” came the reply of the students.

Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and poured it in until the jar was filled all the way to the top. “What is the point of this illustration?” he asked the group of over-achievers. One student replied, “The point is that no matter how full your schedule is you can always fit more things into it.” “No,” replied the expert. “The truth of this illustration is that if you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them all in at all.”

What are the big rocks in your life? A special work or house project? Vacation plans? Your favorite hobbies? Or do the big rocks represent time for your faith, your family, and friends? Do you have a world view that is bigger than your own life? Whatever your big rocks are, be sure to put those first in your agenda, or you likely will not get to them at all.

Ephesians 5:15-16
Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.