It's Never Too Late

At 87 years of age, Rose was having the time of her life. She had decided to pursue her college degree. When asked by another student what inspired her decision, Rose replied, “I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon, easily making friends wherever she went... At the end of the semester, the football team invited Rose to speak at their banquet. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know. We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only three secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets." At the years end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation, Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be. (author unknown) Jesus has a similar message for us. The kingdom is not based on human standards of justice and equity but on the infinite mercy of God. Perhaps there are days when you feel like the laborer who worked the 12 hour shift -- ticked at the people who received a full days pay for a measly one hour of work. But no doubt there are other days when you joined the laborers late in the day – those days where self-interest crowded out his Spirit. We are so fortunate that our God is so generous; he remembers the thief on the cross. He remembers us today – we need simply to renew our promise and try again to follow him. Give our Lord a “High Five” and move through your day with a heart of gratitude. All will be well in God’s plan.

"Is the Water Over God's Head?"

An Alaska a little boy went on an afternoon fishing expedition with his father. When the sight of the shore started to shrink away, the child asked, “Daddy is the water over my head?” The father laughed and replied, “Way over your head, son.”

A few moments later came the next question, “Daddy, is it over your head, too?” This time the father heard the change in his son’s voice. The father killed the boat’s engine and sat down next to his boy. “Yes, son, it’s quite a bit over my head, too.” After a few moments, the father asked, “Son, do you want to know anything else?” The boy asked the big question, “Is the water over God’s head?” The father shared that no, water could never be over God’s head.

Life is full of transitions – moving, starting a new school year, getting married, becoming a parent, losing a loved one, starting a new job, being laid off. It’s important to let God help you in the midst of your transitions. Don’t worry that it’s wrong to be going through a crisis. In fact, it’s normal to undergo many different crisis situations in life.

Remind yourself that God sees your destination, but you can only see one step at a time. Understand that God has a purpose for allowing you to go through each crisis; he will be with you along the way. Ask God to reveal His timing for when you might leave a situation and begin a new one.

Have courage to act according to what’s best, rather than according to pressure from others. If you leave your old set of circumstances, ask God to heal your spirit so you don’t enter new circumstances carrying old wounds. Acknowledge God as the ultimate source of everything you have and trust Him to provide everything you need for making a transition.

Don’t limit the ways in which you invite God to work in your life. Be open to accepting His creativity. Remember, anything is possible with God. The water is never over His head.

The Most Important Lesson

A nursing student shares a profound memory from her academic career. “During my second month of nursing school,” she wrote, “our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?

“Surely, this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. ‘Absolutely,’ said the professor. ‘In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say ‘hello’. I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.” ~ author unknown

The nurse’s professor echoes the challenge and promise of Jesus.

If you want to be great, serve. Jesus reminds us “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.” To call someone by name is to affirm the person’s dignity, uniqueness and significance. If we need to ask again, “What’s your name?” have the humility to do so. If you meet someone new, focus on that person. Forget about impressing; take a genuine interest. Try this. Say the person’s name three times in conversation. Notice the color of the person’s eye. Hear yourself say the name out loud.

A person’s name is the difference between a stranger and a friend; the difference between a prospect and your newest customer.

Remembering names isn’t necessarily about having a good memory. It’s more about caring enough to have a trained memory. Don’t get discouraged if later today you find yourself forgetting the name of someone you just met. This habit takes practice. And it’s a habit we can master. Our Lord called us by name. Let’s imitate Him by following this divine practice.