Manvotional: The Joy of Doing
Brett & Kate McKay
doing
"The Joy of Doing"
By R.J. Baughan
The secret of happiness is in knowing this: that we live by the law of expenditure. We find greatest joy, not in getting, but in expressing what we are. There are tides in the ocean of life, and what comes in depends on what goes out. The currents flow inward only where there is an outlet. Nature does not give to those who will not spend; her gifts are loaned to those who will use them. Empty your lungs and breathe. Run, climb, work, and laugh; the more you give out, the more you shall receive. Be exhausted, and you shall be fed. Men do not really live for honors or for pay; their gladness is not in the taking and holding, but in the doing, the striving, the building, the living. It is a higher joy to teach than to be taught. It is good to get justice, but better to do it; fun to have things, but more to make them. The happy man is he who lives the life of love, not for the honors it may bring, but for the life itself.
Love Yehuda LaveWhy Do Jews Always Get Noticed?
Question
Why do the Jewish people seem to loom so large on the world stage? The numbers don't add up. Here's a nation that comprises less than 0.2% of the world's population, yet we command so much attention you'd think there were billions of us. That's like a room of two thousand people, with one puny guy sitting in the corner whom everyone wants to talk to (or pick on)!
Answer
Jews do strange things sometimes. One example is the widespread practice of "credit combing."
Many Jews have a habit of combing through the credits at the end of a movie, searching for Jewish names. At each discovery they beam with pride: Look! Assistant Gaffer.......Mo Goldstein! Catering Consultant........Beth Cohen!
This odd practice comes from a very deep place in the Jewish psyche. Jews share a spiritual bond with each other. When we meet Jews anywhere in the world, there is an immediate connection, a kinship, a sense of oneness. We are like one big family.
When Jews are in the news, we take it personally. When Israel is under attack, we feel the pain wherever we are. When a Jew wins a bronze medal in croquet, we all share the victory. And when we see a Jewish name in the movie credits, we get excited.
Maybe other nations do this too. But I don't think so. This profound sense of connection makes the Jewish nation unique among the peoples of the world.
This is the reason why statistics cannot apply to the Jewish people. No Jew is merely an individual. We are a collective soul, a part of something bigger than ourselves. We may be a tiny blip on the census, but we don't function according to normal demographic principles. Our strength is not measured by our numbers, but by our unity.
The destiny of the Jewish people is to be a strong voice of goodness and morality among the family of nations. When we unite with our community and commit ourselves to the shared vision of our people, then we are a formidable presence. Not because we are one billion, but because we are one.
exceptional. Parents should all teach their children this life saving skill.
Aviva
This is an actual 911 phone call and the little girl is priceless!
" STAY CALM DAD"
Click HERE to listen!
Assume Good Intent
How to change the whole dynamic of your relationships
Assume good intent." This was one of the pieces of advice in a recent WSJ piece on marriage (03/24/15). The article was focused on situations where husbands and wives have different memories of the same event (and here I thought it was just us!) but the advice could be applied to marriage in general. And could stave off so many arguments, so many moments of frustration, so much sense of hurt or betrayal.
Assume good intent. It will change the whole dynamic of our relationships. Instead of flying off the handle when our spouse is ten minutes late, we can assume they really wanted to be here on time and that the delay was unavoidable. They don't want to hurt us. They aren't deliberately sabotaging our plans or our carefully constructed schedules. They love us and want us to be happy. It was out of their control.
We have an obligation to "judge everyone favorably". If this applies to casual acquaintances, how much more so to our spouses. But "assume good intent" takes it one step farther. We aren't just judging them favorably as human beings and in confusing circumstances; we are judging them favorably in terms of their effort and intent within our marriage. Many of us have been so battered by life – by tumultuous upbringings and prior unhealthy relationships that trust is hard to come by. But assuming good intent takes everything down a notch. We need to give our spouse a break, cut them some slack.
This is always true if we want to build a good relationship but it is particularly true when they have already demonstrated their love and loyalty, their caring and conscientiousness. If they have a history of good intent, then that should be our default assumption. We shouldn't immediately jump to unpleasant thoughts and dark places; rather we should expect good. They have always shown up on time until now so they must have had no choice.
I believe this idea is one of those small (or not so small) secrets that make the difference between a warm and enjoyable relationship and a tense and stressful one. It's such a simple thought yet so essential. "Assume good intent."
As crucial as this is to a marriage, it is actually most relevant in our relationship with the Almighty. How many times do thoughts of "Why me?" and "It's not fair" and "Everything works out better for them" enter our minds. How many times do we rail against situations that are too painful or too stressful or don't work out exactly the way we want them to? Assume good intent. In our relationship with our Creator, it's actually more than an assumption. It's a statement of reality. He has good intentions. He wants what's best for us. He knows better than anyone what that is.
We would all be so much freer if we took this idea to heart and applied it particularly to our marriages and most of all to our relationship with our Father in heaven.
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