As much as we might wish this was not the case, and plead the contrary, we conduct all our relationships within a transactional frame.
Devotional
Wisdom can help you win
When we enlist the pursuit of wisdom to strive for an optimal outcome, what we are seeking is to align our own thinking as much as possible with God’s thinking.
Addiction’s vicious cycle
Addiction is a short-term escape from pain that is purchased at a high interest rate of future pain.
How do we deal with greed?
The key to understanding and disarming our greed is digging a little bit deeper. Why do you want more money? What is it that you hope to gain as a result of having more resources?
Saying things that last
If you want to endure, it really means, for the realist, that you want your words to endure. We want our words to carry meaning, and to continue to shape other people’s lives long after we are gone.
So…did you bring a gift?
The weird, and sometimes maddening truth about gifts is that some of their inherent value is the inconvenience itself.
You don’t reason with an enraged momma bear
You don’t try to “walk alongside” the enraged momma bear, trying to calm her down, redirect her, or help her see reason. You get out of the way.
The variables you’re not planning for
You won’t get much done if you’re factoring in an earthquake contingency plan as part of your daily schedule. On the other hand, if you operate on the equation of ‘planning yields success’, you’ll lose a sense of perspective, gratitude and balance.
Why fasting? Because we’re all spiritually fat
When you think of “pampered, comfortable, spoiled, and entitled,” are these words you mostly use to complain about millenials, or do you recognize how you and I carry some of that same fat?
Treat yo’ self every day
If America had a life verse for its past fifty years, this would be it: “treat yo’ self.”
Don’t trust your gut
The band OneRepublic said it perfectly: “I feel something so right, doing the wrong thing, and I feel something so wrong doing the right thing.”
Close your mouth to save your life
It’s not only a concern for others that motivates us to keep our mouth shut. It should be an instinct of self-preservation.