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Stretch Quote – A Look In The Mirror (Luther Allison)
But let’s face it, I still have to look at my self and look at the things I’ve done down the STRETCH.
Luther Allison
We are coming down the final stretch for 2015.
Take time to look in the mirror – to reflect on the past year.
What went well in 2015? What were your big wins in 2015?
What didn’t go so well in 2015? What do you want to change as you head into the new year?
What help do you need as you head into 2016?
Use this last week of 2015 well.
How would you answer the questions above? Leave your answer in the comments.
Stretch Quote – Reach Out Your Hand (@M_Heseltine)
There are those who never STRETCH out the hand in fear it will be bitten. But those who never STRETCH out the hand will never feel it clasped in friendship.
Michael Heseltine
Are you willing to take the risk?
Are you willing to STRETCH out your hand to a neighbor, a co-worker, or someone else?
It can be scary to reach out into the unknown, but it is almost always well worth the risk. What are you waiting for?
8 Things You Need To Know About A Positive Attitude
Virtually nothing is impossible in this world if you just put your mind to it and maintain a positive attitude.
Lou Holtz
When you think of someone with a positive attitude, who comes to your mind?
The first person to come to my mind is my Grandma Miller. Grandma passed away several years ago, but her positive attitude still impacts me. Grandma struggled with multiple sclerosis for most of her life. Her knees failed her. She suffered from seizures. And towards the end of her life, she could barely hold her head up. Despite her physical ailments, she remained positive. She often had a song on her lips, and she was friendly with every single person who crossed her path. If there was someone I know who had a positive attitude, it was my Grandma Miller.
A positive attitude amazing benefits for creating a better life for you and the people around you. Yesterday, we learned about the impact of having a negative attitude. Today, we look at the impact of having a positive attitude. Here are some things you need to know about the power of a positive attitude:
8 Things You Need To Know About A Positive Attitude
- A positive attitude lifts others up. Ask anyone who knew my Grandma. They will tell you what an encouragement Roma Miller (that was her name) was to them. People often came to visit my Grandma, and I bet they left her feeling more enthusiastic and thankful for the day. If you want to make a difference for others, practice having a positive attitude.
- A positive attitude helps you see the good things of life. Grandma often looked out the back window in her kitchen while she ate her breakfast, and she talked to the squirrels in the back yard. When the snow came in the winter (which it always did in Minneapolis), Grandma saw the beauty of God’s creation instead of the freezing cold of the blizzard conditions. When you take off the blinders of negativity, you begin to see all the great things happening around you.
- A positive attitude restores your energy. Especially in the last years of Grandma’s life, she had to sleep more. And the seizures she suffered from time to time knocked the wind out of Grandma’s sail. Despite this, I can remember sitting with my Grandma while she was awake. She seemed to discover a hidden supply of energy, and I’m certain it flowed as a result of her positive attitude. I am more energetic when I allow a positive attitude to stick with me throughout the day.
- A positive attitude improves your health. Maybe this isn’t fair when it comes to my Grandma. After all, she suffered physically for a good portion of her life. I could argue that her positive attitude kept her pushing on well past the expectations of the doctors. If you want to live a happier, healthier life, you have to find a way to be positive.
- A positive attitude opens the doors to new opportunities. Grandma had friends everywhere she went – in the neighborhood, at church, at the hospital, and even in the hospice center where she spent her final days. Grandma also wasn’t afraid to try new things. I remember her going for a lengthy swim against my Grandpa’s wishes when our family vacationed together in New Hampshire. Grandma took off from the shore line and slowly paddles out several hundred yards to an island in the middle of Baptist Pond. When you have a positive attitude, you will see doors opening for you.
- A positive attitude multiplies hope. Hope is a key ingredient for life. Hope provides a reason for living. Grandma always held onto hope.
- A positive attitude is contagious. If you want to positively impact the culture around you, put on a smile and learn to say thank you. Before you know it, you will witness the rapid spread of positivity across the landscape of your life.
- A positive attitude fosters positive relationships. No one could stay angry at my Grandma for very long. Her positive attitude was the catalyst for positive relationships through her community, church, and family. If you desire friendship, restoration, and unity, put on a positive attitude and see what happens next!
When was the last time you had a positive attitude? How did it impact you and others around you? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Stretch Quote – Expand Your Heart (@Daphne_Kingma)
Today, see if you can STRETCH your heart and expand your love so that it touches not only those to whom you can give it easily, but also those who need it so much.
Daphne Rose Kingma
It’s easy to love the lovable.
Who do you find it hard to love?
What can you do to show them love today?
Stretch Quote – Helping Hand
It is a denial of justice not to STRETCH out a helping hand to the fallen that is the common right of humanity.
Seneca the Elder
What’s in it for me? This is a question most of us are asking ourselves.
What if this is the wrong question? What if we flipped the question?
What’s in it for others? What’s in it for those who really need a helping hand?
How can you STRETCH out a helping hand to those in need? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Stretch Quote – Tree (Pauline R. Kezer)
Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us STRETCH and grow and reach new heights.
Pauline R. Kezer
I don’t like change, but I like to keep growing.
What if continuity and change were meant to work together?
What things do you need to keep doing to building deeper roots? And what things do you need to start doing to help you reach new heights?
Stretch Quote – Long STRETCH Of Road
A long STRETCH of road will teach you more about yourself than a hundred years of quiet.
Patrick Rothfuss
We are meant to be stretched. If we’re not stretching, we’re not growing. And we are probably not living the life we were meant to live.
I write about life’s stretch marks, because I want to learn from my experiences. And I hope my own personal education will benefit others who read along.
Are you on a long stretch of road? Or are you in the middle of quiet?
Refuge
A true friend encourages us, comforts us, supports us like a big easy chair, offering us a safe refuge from the world.
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
When I did a Google search for the word refuge, this is what I found:
ref·uge
ˈrefˌyo͞oj,ˈrefˌyo͞oZH/
noun
noun: refuge
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a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.“he was forced to take refuge in the French embassy”
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something providing shelter.plural noun: refuges“the family came to be seen as a refuge from a harsh world”
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an institution providing safe accommodations for women who have suffered violence from a spouse or partner.
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I’ve been thinking about the word for a few days.
What does it mean to be a refuge?
On Saturday morning, I served at a women’s shelter – a refuge or safe house for women faced with domestic violence. It’s hard for me to fathom the need for this type of service. What would drive a man to violate his wife and children in this manner?
There has been a lot of talk about refugees lately. Individuals and family units are fleeing violence in the middle east in search of sanctuary. Because of the terrorist actions in Paris on Friday, some are proclaiming we shouldn’t accept refugees in our country.
I wonder how and why their ancestors came to this country. Were they searching for something? Were they running away from something? Or were they looking for shelter from violations they were experiencing in their homeland?
Inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty is a plaque that reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” This is a quote from Emma Lazarus, and it seems to match well the messages I was taught in grade school. The Statue of Liberty represented the freedom and shelter that our country was meant to offer to those in need of asylum.
And now, we want to close our borders to those in need of shelter. We use fear as an excuse to prevent people from experiencing the same rights and privileges afforded to our ancestors.
I may be questioned about this, but I think it’s something we need to consider.
As I thought more about the concept of refuge. I couldn’t help but think about how this word is often used in the Bible (particularly in the Psalms) to describe God.
- “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1
- “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” Psalm 91:1-2
- “In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.” Psalm 71:1-4
- “I cry to you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.’” Psalm 142:5
- “You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.” Psalm 119:114
God is our shelter, our safe haven, our sanctuary, our hiding place, our security, our refuge.
As I contemplate the women who need the shelter and the refugees who need to escape, I think of my own life, and I realize I need to find refuge in God, and I need to be used by Him to bring refuge to others. This last thought makes me a little uncomfortable, but I think that’s where I need to be. And I’m guessing it’s where you need to be as well.
How can you and I provide refuge for those in need of security?
I think this is a question we must ask ourselves and talk about with each other. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Stretch Quote – New Dimensions For Your Mind (Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr)
A mind that is STRETCHED by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
If you are like me, you don’t always like new experiences. This quote reminds me that new experiences are the catalyst for taking us to new dimensions.