Timeless Turtle tips...

Besides the tale of the hare and the tortoise that taught us: Slow and steady wins the race.(Aesop (620 BC - 560 BC)), I've been looking for other lessons we can learn from tortoises/turtles. It was nice to find these and to break them out of their "shell":  

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.  

~    Oscar Wilde

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.

~Steve Jobs

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.  ~Judy Garland

When you are living the best version of yourself, 

you inspire others to live the best versions of themselves.

~ Steve Maraboli

Watch the turtle. He only moves forward by sticking his neck out.

~ Lou Gerstner

Take risks: if you win, you will be happy; if you lose, you will be wise. 

~ Unknown

Life is inherently risky.
There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing. ~Denis Waitley

Don't be afraid to reach toward your dreams. Fear stops you only if you let it. 
Plan carefully for that first essential move- and then make it. ~ Unknown

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.

~ Muhammad Ali

I have 2 take-aways from this set of turtle tips:

Be yourself - you're the only person who can be your best self.

Be willing to take risks and make every attempt to make progress in life.

The most important lesson for us:

You may be deemed "slow," but don't let that stop you from moving forward.

Remember the oldes Tortoise tip: "Slow and steady wins the race."

What are yours? Please share them with us. Happy end of July. God bless

"Congratulations!"?

It's amazing how often we really need to watch out words - even the good ones can be the wrong ones depending on who we're talking to and why. Keep reading, you'll understand...

Having toiled all night...

Luke 5:1-11 presents a very familiar story of failure and the mercy of God.

Peter experienced failure...Significant, impactful Failure. A lot depended on it and he had invested significant effort in order to achieve success. Fishing for Peter represented:

1) His Identity - Ego, Reputation, Self-worth,
Accomplishment - he was known as a fisherman

2) His Career and source of livelihood - his trade was fishing, provision for his family, school fees, house rent, clothing. His family depended on him fishing (successfully)

3) His Calling: ministry, spiritual gift, a talent, passion

Peter toiled all night and caught nothing… ZERO!
This must have been a big blow considering the 3 points above.

Having toiled all night, Peter had to deal with disgrace and public ridicule associated with fruitless effort.
Having toiled all night, Peter must have been emotionally weak, frail and vulnerable.
Having toiled all night, Peter must have been tired and eager to rest.

However, when Jesus came, He did not focus on Peter's effort, failure, the need to succeed, or next steps. He focused on Peter's potential to serve or Peter's relevance in God's purpose.
Jesus asked him to do more work. Giving up would have been a more natural response than giving in to Jesus' request. But Peter agreed to serve, without regard for how his immediate need would be catered for.

Jesus could have approached any other person, but he was drawn to Peter's emptiness, pain, lack…etc. Jesus is still drawn to our emptiness, but today, Christians want to define the conditions, manner of service, time of service, justify our inability to serve and as such we lose the impact of Jesus being drawn to our emptiness.

For Jesus, the focus is service, the by-product of service is a solution to our specific need.

Peter was not asked to preach.

• He was asked to give his boat...which at that moment was a symbol of failure and shame.
• He was asked to serve with the very thing that manifested his failure. He was asked to share his time...the very thing he most desperately would want to use to rest and refresh and be ready for the next fishing exercise.
• He was asked to focus on others and not himself.
• He was asked to respond to the Master's needs without consideration of how his needs will be met.

Jesus doesn't focus on the pain, because He provides the gain
Jesus doesn't discuss the problem, because He has the solution
Jesus doesn't discuss the emptiness because He can fill to overflowing.
Jesus doesn't discuss the failure, because success is more interesting to talk about.

Peter's turn around was instantaneous and the effect was stupendous

May we constantly give Jesus the opportunity to turn our failures into successes, our shame into glory and our lack into boat-sinking abundance.

Be like instant coffee...

These days everyone is always in a hurry – to or from somewhere. I recently completed a survey about a fibre bar and they kept bringing up the question of convenience i.e. easy to eat on-the-go. It’s also this need for “speed” that brought about the instant coffee, microwave and so many other time-saving and “labour-avoiding” devices. Now this is not to say that I have anything against them...it’s just an opportunity for us to look and learn.