siblings

Fillings and Feelings

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

positive-thinkingWhen I was a kid, the most important meal of the day was supper.  Mom was an excellent cook, and she worked hard to prepare the evening meal for our large family. Mom and Pop worked even harder at trying to steer their eight children in the right direction.

Each evening the family gathered around the dinner table to eat and to discuss the days events.  One evening,  Mom and Pop spoke about an incident at school in which I had hurt the feelings of a classmate. As we discussed the situation, my youngest brother said:  I have feelings too, see!  Then, he opened his mouth and pointed to the fillings in his teeth.

The truth is, fillings and feelings go hand in hand. How you feel about life is determined in a large part by how you fill your life. If you don’t fill your mind with what is right, what is left?

Your life is like your car, if you fill the tank with the cheapest fuel available, your engine may not perform at an optimal level; likewise, if you fill your mind with two-bit thinking, you’ll never live a grand life.

To fill your tank with some high octane thoughts, heed the advice of the Apostle Paul and think on whatever is just, pure, lovely, commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (Philippians 4:8).

A Circle of Friends

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

friendThe presumed benefits of friendship have been the focus of many self-help books and the authors have suggested that healthy friendships are a key metric to measure happiness; boost your physical and mental health; and, they may even extend your life.

A group of researchers from the University of Oxford decided to test the value of friendships, and their research has yielded some interesting results:

  • The research suggests that people with a large circle of friends have a higher pain tolerance.
  • The social interactions you have with your friends triggers the release of endorphins that are conducive to positive emotions.
  • Endorphins generate a strong pain-killing effect that’s stronger than morphine.

Which is of more value: Facebook posts or face-to-face interactions?  Katerina Johnson, co-author of the study, has said: “In this digital era, deficiencies in our social interactions may be one of the overlooked factors contributing to the declining health of our modern society.”

Even though, he didn’t make his conclusion based on a questionnaire, Solomon knew the value of a good friend:

  • Proverbs 17:17: A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
  • Proverbs 27:17: In the same way that iron sharpens iron, a person sharpens the character of his friend.

I’m not sure who Aristotle had in mind when he said, “The antidote for fifty enemies is one friend.” I do, however, know that his words remind me of something Jesus said:

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you (John 15:12-15).”

April Fool’s Day

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

Funny-April-Fools-Day-PhotosToday is the day of practical jokes and epic spoofs—it’s April Fool’s Day.  I learned early in life that the spoofer seems to get more joy out of this day than does the spoofed.

While under the influence of an older sister, poor little innocent me was persuaded to put salt in the sugar bowl and sugar in the salt shaker.

I snickered when I saw Mom slice a grapefruit in half, get a spoonful of salt out of the sugar bowl, and spread it on her grapefruit.  I laughed out loud when she took the first bite and quickly spit it back out.

Mom didn’t see the humor, and my laughter had implicated me as a guilty partner in this devious plan that was hatched in the mind of my older sister.  Shame on her for being such a poor influence on poor little innocent me.

The public has been duped on this day on more than one occasion:

  • On April 1, 1996, Virgin Cola issued a warning to consumers in the British newspapers. They announced that on the sell-by-date, a new technology would cause a reaction that would turn the can blue.  This spoof was a slap at Pepsi who had recently unveiled its newly designed bright blue cans.
  • Also on April 1, 1996, Taco Bell ran a full-page ad in six major newspapers to announce it had purchased the Liberty Bell and renamed it the Taco Liberty Bell. This spoof outraged patriotic citizens across the USA, and many of them called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia to express their anger. Nerves were calmed after Taco Bell revealed it was just a practical joke
  • On April 1, 1987, the Daily Mirror broke the startling news of a romance between Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev. To support the fabricated story, the newspaper had hired models that looked like Thatcher and Gorbachev.1987thatcher_400

God may have a sense of humor, but He doesn’t think the life of a fool is a laughing matter.  Since this is April Fool’s Day, I thought I would post a verse or two about fools from God’s perspective:

  • Psalm 14:1: The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
  • Proverbs 1:7: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of much learning. Fools hate wisdom and teaching.
  • Proverbs 13:20: He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the one who walks with fools will be destroyed.
  • Proverbs 14:16: A wise man fears God and turns away from what is sinful, but a fool is full of pride and is not careful.

I think this last verse is a fitting conclusion: He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be kept safe (Proverbs 28:26).

A Special Day Everyday

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

BirthdayplateWhen I was a kid, Mom made birthdays special by allowing her children to pick the menu for supper.  A few days in advance, she would ask: “What do you want me to cook for your birthday?”

I knew if I asked for Mom’s special chocolate cake, I would receive it for dessert. Asking with the hope of receiving is part of life’s journey, and it’s one of  the themes of the Bible:

  • Just ask and it will be given to you; seek after it and you will find. Continue to knock and the door will be opened for you (Matthew 7:7)
  • If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you (John 15:7).
  • If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him (James 1:5).
  • Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know (Jeremiah 33:3).

A wonderful promise found in Psalm 55:16 encourages you to call out to God: As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. This verse is evidence of God’s desire to have a relationship with you.  When you call to Him:

  • You can enjoy the blessings of an abundant life (John 10:10).
  • God will help you face your fear and give you the strength you need for your journey (2 Timothy 1:7).
  • You can be assured that God will be a place of refuge for you (Psalm 46:1).

Why limit yourself to just one special day out of the year, when everyday can be a special day with God?

The Single Wrapped Cursing and Blessing

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

sweet_sourSweet and Sour or bitter and sweet, some polar opposites of life are single wrapped and served for your pleasure.  Too much of one ruins the other, but without the correct mix you are left with something that is bland and tasteless.

If a glass of lemonade was all lemon and no sugar, it would be much too sour.  If it was just a squeeze of lemon and two cups of sugar, it would be far too sweet.  The same is true with life in general:  You need to get the right blend or you’ll be mixed up but not balanced.

How balanced is your life when it comes to technology?  I’m a news-hound, so I watch it on TV, and read it on the internet, and I enjoy watching sports on TV.  I also have a Kindle Fire, and download books to it for reading.  But, it’s possible to spend too much time with technological gadgets and too little time with God.

A disciplined life is an essential.  Peter said that a person should “be disciplined and stay on guard. Your enemy the devil is prowling around outside like a roaring lion, just waiting and hoping for the chance to devour someone (I Peter 5).”

Is your life balanced or have you left the door open to roaring lion?  Are listening more to Hollywood or the Holy Word?  In your life, which of the two is the powerless microphone or a powerful megaphone?

While this is an important question for adults, it is even more serious when it comes to our children.  The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that there should be no screens in kids rooms, including televisions, video games, and mobile devices; and no screen time for children under 2 years of age.

  • The AAP has reported that the average 8 to 10 year old spends nearly 8 hours a day using media and teens spend more than 11 hours a day.
  • The Pew Research Internet Report reports that 78% of teens have a handheld device and 97% use the internet.

This can be good, but it can also be bad.  I think there is a correlation between some societal problems and the proliferation of technology.  Focus on the Family has reported that the average at which a child is introduced to pornography has dropped to 8 years old.caged_lion_1397649c

Sweet and sour or bitter and sweet—is your life full of the enticing, the entertaining, or the educational.  Who is controlling the gateway to the eyes and ears of your family?  Is the roaring lion in the cage or is he running loose?