Life is Art by Jim Rohn

In my years teaching people to be successful, I have seen that basically people break their lives down into two major parts: wealth- building and the rest of their lives. Having done a lot of reflection on these two topics—wealth and life—I am coming to some new conclusions about how to perceive the two.

Until recently I thought that there was a significant difference in how we should tackle the two areas. In fact, I thought that the two topics should be addressed in almost opposite fashion.

You see, wealth-building is just math. While life—Life is art.

Think back with me to high school. Most of us were required to take math and most of us probably took art as well.

Now, think about your final exams in the two areas. Your math paper was graded on hard facts:

Ten times ten is always one-hundred.

Thirty divided by three is always ten.

Seven plus seven is always fourteen.

Fifty minus twenty-five is always twenty-five.

There is always just one answer in math. The answers are hard fact, set in stone. Math is a science. It is formulaic. You can know the outcome before it happens, every time.

But what about your final art project? Art is much more subjective. "Beauty," they say, "is in the eye of the beholder." There is no one right answer.

Think of the different styles of the famous artists:

Renoir. Monet. Picasso. Rockwell. Warhol.

Different people find different styles beautiful, and that is what makes art, art.

So how does this fit with wealth-building and life? Wealth-building is like math:

If you add $1,000 to your retirement account each month and gain 7 percent interest over 20 years, you can know now how much you will have then. It is math. If you buy a rental property for $200,000 now and it increases in value by 3 percent a year, you know exactly how much you will be able to sell it for in 10 years. The beauty of math is in the knowing. You can work the system, set it on auto-pilot and the math does the work for you, and you know the outcome.

But life? Life is art. And that is the beauty of life. You do not know how it is going to turn out. Life, like art, is always changing. Different people provide different colors. When you make a mistake, you can go back, erase it or even paint right over it. You can change the scenery. Life, like art, is ever evolving, and what looks good to one person is of no interest to another. And that is what makes life beautiful.

Another lesson I think we can draw is that in life we should do our math, of course, but life isn't made up of just wealth-building. Wealth-building should serve our ability to live our lives. Jesus, the master teacher, said that our lives are not made up of the abundance of our possessions. He didn't mean that possessions aren't good, just that wealth isn't what life is all about.

So let me ask you: Are you spending more time on your math or your art? Do your math. Everybody should do their very best at their wealth-building plan so they can take care of themselves and their families.

But life is about the art. What does your canvas look like? What kind of picture are you painting? What kind of pot are you creating? What kind of statue are you sculpting? Take your time, make bold strokes, use brilliant colors, and make of your life the most beautiful masterpiece that you can.

In other words, do your math so you can focus on your art.

Baby Joke

Three men were discussing at a bar about coincidences. The first man said, " my wife was reading a "tale of two cities" and she gave birth to twins"

"That’s funny", the second man remarked, "my wife was reading 'the three musketeers' and she gave birth to triplets"

The third man shouted, "Good God, I have to rush home!"

When asked what the problem was, he exclaimed, " When I left the house, my wife was reading Ali baba and the forty Thieves"!!!

Ghandi was that kind of man...

One day while Gandhi was boarding a train, one of his sandals fell from his foot and landed near the railroad track. But there was no time to retrieve the sandal as the train began to pull out of the station.

Just then, Gandhi took off the other sandal and cast it out so that it landed near the first sandal. When a stunned fellow passenger asked why he would do such a thing, Gandhi replied, “Now the poor man who finds it will have a pair he can use.”

"I Am a Soldier"

"I Am a Soldier"

I am a soldier in the Lord's Army.

The King of kings and Lord of lords, the Chief Shepherd Jesus Christ is my Commander-in-Chief.

I am an “Intel” soldier -relying my information on the ones provided by the Holy Spirit and fellow intel soldiers.

I am also a “Communication” soldier who listens to the radio message of the Bible and talks to the Chief via direct communication called prayer.

The Word is my code of conduct.

I wear the Armor of God.

The belt of truth...

The body armor of God's righteousness.

The boots of peace...

The shield of faith...

The helmet of salvation...

The sword of the Spirit aka the Word of God... 

Faith, Prayer, Praise, Giving thanks and the Word are my weapons of Warfare.

I am being taught by the Holy Spirit and the Invisible Church,

    ...trained by experience,

    ...tried by adversity,

    ...and tested by fire.

I am a volunteer in this Army, and I am enlisted for eternity.

I will never retire in this Army for true soldiers never die;

But, I will not get out,

    ...sell out

    ...be talked out

    ...or pushed out

By the evil one.

I am faithful, reliable, capable, and dependable.

If my God needs me, I am there. ( loving God )

If my fellow brother or sister needs me, I am there. ( loving my family )

If my neighbors / allies needs me, I am there ( loving neighbor) . I am a medic soldier infusing the true blood of the lamb that gives life in them so they live eternally with our King.

If my enemies are thirsty or hungry, I am a “cook” -soldier trying to feed them the Truth with the True Bread of life and the Living Water.

My MRE "Meal Ready to Eat" consists of the fruit of the Spirit:
- Love
- Joy
- Peace
- Patience
- Kindness
- Goodness
-  Faithfulness
- Gentleness 
- Self Control

I am also a Ranger.

I am not a baby. I do not need to be pampered,

    ...petted,

    ...primed up,

    ...pumped up,

    ...picked up,

    ...or pepped up,

By mere mortal men, but do need my King’s faithful support, unconditional love for me and intermittent prayer for me.

 

I am also a singing paratrooper and a color guard soldier. I am not a wimp. I am in place,

    ...saluting my King,

    ...obeying His orders,

    ...praising His name,

   …raising His Banner,

   …blowing the Shofar,

   ...and building His Kingdom!

No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or give me handouts.

I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to.

I am committed. I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.

I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.

I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.

When Jesus called me into His Army alongside His angels, 

I had nothing, 

I was dead, 

I was His enemy on the side of the father of lies.

If I end up with nothing, I will still come out even.

I will win.

My God will supply all my needs.

I am more than a conqueror.

I will always triumph.

I can do all things through Christ, the Prince of Peace who helped me make peace with the Father.

Devils cannot defeat me.

People cannot disillusion me.

Weather cannot weary me.

Sickness cannot stop me.

Battles cannot beat me.

Money cannot buy me.

Governments cannot silence me, and

Hell cannot handle me!

In fact, I would smell the perfect fragrance of Christ that Hell would have to throw me up…

I am a spy soldier like Joshua and Caleb.
Even death cannot destroy me.
For when my Commander calls me from this battlefield or from behind enemy lines,
He will refresh me with the best R and R.

I am a “sapper” soldier, in God’s Army,
I'm marching to make way for the Lord, claiming victory like a "Special Force" soldier.
I will not give up.
I will not turn around.
I am also a psychological warfare soldier, marching, Heaven bound trying to instill LIFE psychologically and spiritually.
Here I stand! Will you stand with me?

Eighties boy

Enjoy!

A Special Love Story

Her family had come to America from Sweden. She had a typical Scandinavian look... Long blond hair; blue eyes; long slender legs; soft, blemish-free skin. She was gorgeous - she was beautiful. In fact, a professional international photographer in her hometown thought she was so pretty that he used a photograph of her to advertise his business.

But that was not her real beauty.

She was raised by some wonderful Christian parents and had become a Christian at an early age. Integrity, honesty and sweetness were just a few of her characteristics. In fact, at her engagement party, her sister, who knew her better than anyone, said that she had never heard her tell a lie. All of her friends said the same thing about her: She was the sweetest girl they knew. She would never speak a harsh word about anyone. Everyone loved to be around her.

A young man she met in her freshman year started dating her and fell in love with her - both her exterior photographic beauty and the wonderful godly character of her inward beauty. She fell in love with him and they spent every free moment they could with each other over the next four years. They were committed to each other and they believed in waiting long before the "True Love Waits" Campaign ever existed.

One week after they graduated from college, they were married. They loved each other's company. They would walk together, exercise together, go on bike rides together, chaperone youth trips together - go to movies, watch TV, eat pizza, travel - all the things any normal couple would love to do together. They were so much in love.
 

She taught school for a year and then became a bookkeeper for a surgical supply company. One day, while she was working, for no apparent reason, she lost her balance and fell on the floor. She was later able to get up and went to see a doctor that night. He set her up to see a Neurologist.
 

The following day, it happened again. For no apparent reason, she lost her balance and fell. This time, though, she couldn't get up. She had lost all feeling in her legs. They wouldn't move. Her husband, had to come to the office and pick her up in his arms and carry her to the hospital. After six days in the hospital, the doctor gave this beautiful, active young lady the dreadful news... She had Multiple Sclerosis and she would continue to deteriorate.
 

This young couple, who had now been married only 18 months - who loved to go everywhere together and do everything together - would now face some new challenges. All their future plans would change, everyday life would change. They would change.

For the next 30 years, this young lady did deteriorate. She had to take steroids (not the kind athletes use, but anti-inflammatory steroids). Her bones became brittle, breaking easily. Her face became puffy and bloated and she could not even put on make-up. Her body was a mess. She went from a walker, to an electric scooter, to a wheelchair. She could no longer feed herself, write her name, or control her own bodily functions. She now had to have someone stay with her 24 hours a day.
 

If that couple had not had the kind of committed love that's based first on a personal relationship and a commitment to Jesus Christ and second, on a love that's based on a commitment to each other, the marriage never would have lasted. In fact, a large percentage of the marriages where a spouse has MS, the other spouse leaves them. The other spouse won't stay committed to the constant care and the continual physical, psychological and mental changes that continue to occur.

Please hear me carefully - those two people are not heroes. They are not super-saints or super-Christians. They will be the first to tell you that they are not super Christians. Those two people are normal, ordinary people, empowered by the Love of God and a love for each other, to do what the world considers beyond normal and extraordinary.

I know this for a fact - because that woman, that beautiful young lady who will never walk again, who can't even feed herself, is Lynda Langerfeld - my wife. She's not a hero. I'm not a hero. We're children of God, doing what the children of God are supposed to do. Doing what His children are called to do. Doing what God expects of every man and every woman who make a vow before God on their wedding day.

Quite often, Hollywood will portray a "hero" sacrificing his life for his "heroine" in a film. In the world's eyes, he's a hero. In God's eyes, he's an ordinary man making an extraordinary sacrifice that every Christian who's committed to his spouse ought to make. Sacrificial, Committed Love is the rule, not the exception. We're not super-saints, we're not heroes when we're being faithful and committed to our mates. We're doing what God has called every husband and wife to do since the beginning of time.


Note: Even though Lynda passed away two years ago after her courageous battle with MS, the challenge to be committed to our spouses, to our families and to our loved-ones is the best Valentines' gift I can give to you!


(c) 2002 David Langerfeld
dlangerfeld@Harrisburgonline.org

www.harrisburgonline.org

Permission to distribute this article via email or individual copies is automatically granted on the condition it will be used for non-commercial purposes and will not be sold.

Carrots, eggs and coffee

Carrots, Eggs and Coffee

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as when one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans.

She let them sit and boil; without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 

"What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. "Which are you?" she asked her daughter.

When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.

If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level?

How do you handle adversity?
 
Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

+++++++++++++++++++++++

My prayer is that we all become like coffee in the mist of attacks by the evil one...Let us not harden our hearts toward God. God is love. God is jealous. He doesn't want us to be in the hands of the evil one.