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Shopping Doesn’t Mean The Same Thing For Everyone

Let me ask, is shopping a leisure activity or is shopping a hunting activity for you? 

shopping doesn't mean the same thing for everyone

There was a time when hunting was far more prevalent than shopping. … But when you think about it, now shopping has mostly taken the place of hunting. 

The days of going out to kill an animal so you could have meat for dinner have been replaced. Now we go to the grocery store and pick out a juicy steak or frozen pre-cooked ribs already sauced.

We hunt for bargains at the store. We go to malls to gather the items from the list we made before we left home.

But for some people shopping is not so much a hunt, or a replacement for gathering the necessities of life. No, shopping is more of a leisure activity.

So when you shop, is your approach more like a hunt or an activity? 

… To be fair, even hunting has taken on a more leisurely tone lately. I have a friend who just got back from hunting but didn’t shoot anything. He was 15 feet from a moose but they weren’t in season so he didn’t bag the prize. 

There was a time if you came back from the hunt empty-handed you and your family were going hungry. It was imperative that you hunted until you had something to bring home.

Still there’s a distinction between shopping as a hunt or an activity.

For me, when it comes to shopping, I’m more of a hunter than an activity seeker. I like to get in, bag that item I’m looking for and get out.

Recently, due to my wife Lily not feeling all that well, I’ve been doing most of the grocery shopping. This is not my forte, but I’m getting the job done.

Recently on one trip I had to stop a fellow shopper to ask her where I would find egg noodles (at least I was in the right aisle). 

She showed me where the noodles were and told me there were different shapes, to which I said, “I guess I’m going to have to phone a friend for this one.” I had to phone Lily to find out which shape of egg noodles she wanted. That meant using two “lifelines” on one item on that shopping trip. 

The biggest thing I’ve learned lately about shopping is that I’m a hunter. 

… Although at some places it could be tempting to turn shopping into an activity. At Costco there is such a variety of items, an abundance of products and samples to lure you in to making it a leisure outing. 

But not for me – one time I even went to the checkout with one item. The guy in front of me was astonished and asked how I was getting out of there with one thing. 

I’m a hunter, man!

The other day at Costco I picked up four items. When I got home, Lily asked what new things they had in the store. I didn’t know; I never looked. I got my four items and quickly got out. 

No leisure strolling for me. 

Lily, on the other hand, likes shopping and looking at the different items … and that’s how very differently we approach shopping.

Here’s the thing: It is a good thing God’s approach to you and me is a hunter and not just a leisure shopper. There is a song I’m reminded of that gives a picture of this. The song “Reckless Love” has a couple of lines that say, “Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine”. If you ever get the sense that someone is seeking you, hunting you down, it’s God … and He’s doing it out of love. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you need to respond to God’s love for you today? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Out Of Season? . . . Not Any More!

Getting in on something that is out of season is a real bonus, isn’t it? 

out of season? ... not any more!

Our modern harvesting, preserving and packaging technologies make it possible to enjoy many things that are out of season. 

I have half a grapefruit every morning and, though grapefruit is a summer fruit, I can enjoy them all year long … because somewhere in the world it’s summer. 

For the first part of the year the grapefruit arrive from Israel, big and juicy. In the fall, and until the new year, they come from South Africa, not as big, but with every bit of flavour. 

Years ago there were times of the year you couldn’t get certain fruits. Oranges arrived in winter, strawberries were in June, and apples came in the fall. Outside those times you really didn’t eat those fruits. In fact, there was anticipation for fruit of the season to come.

But now most fruits are available year round. 

One of my favourite fruits is the raspberry. Growing up we had a large raspberry patch in our backyard. We had so many that my mom would make a few raspberry pies every summer as well as often dish them up in a bowl for dessert.

But by August the raspberries were gone and finished for the season. We would not have them again until the next summer.

At my present home we have a raspberry patch in our backyard that never fails to produce raspberries each year … that is until they are out of season. 

And then if I want them I have to purchase them at the grocery store, usually at a premium price.

My one regret about summer vacation is that it comes around that same time our raspberries ripen. So we usually get a week of raspberries and then they die on the bushes while we are away. By the time we get back from vacation the raspberries are finished, out of season. 

Every year I’ve missed out on much of my precious fruit. 

But this year has been different.

With the summer-like weather this fall, my raspberry patch is producing again. And the great thing is I’m home and can enjoy these berries of the gods. … Apparently there is such a thing as fall producing raspberry bushes and we have some mixed into our patch in the corner of the yard. 

It’s now the end of October and I’m still eating delicious raspberries from my own backyard. I’m enjoying fresh berries even though normally they would be out of season by now. My wife has even frozen some so that I will be able to enjoy them in the middle of winter.

This year the weather has kept what is normally out of season, still flourishing. Lucky me!

Here’s the thing: We all want to enjoy the fruit that is in season. But sometimes that fruit comes at a time we don’t expect. If we are not ready, we will miss it. We don’t know when Christ is going to return, so we need to be ready for it, whether it seems like it will be in season and close at hand, or out of season and far off.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need to be ready for, even if it’s out of season? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Write It Down – Words To Live By

Have you ever said to yourself, “I should write it down”, but then never did? 

write it down - words to live by

What generally happens is that thought, idea, or action disappears from your memory. 

It happens to me regularly.

I keep telling myself that I need to “write it down” but so often I don’t. In fact I had an idea for a post a few weeks ago and thought I should write it down. I didn’t.

This morning when I sat down to finally get at it, all I could remember was that I had had a great idea for a blog post. I had no recollection of what that idea was.

So I sat with my iPad in front of me recalling my activities over the last few weeks. No lightbulb moment came to me. The only blog idea I have right now is to “write it down”.

It’s not like I have a bad memory, it’s just that I have had so many other thoughts and experiences that have taken place since I first thought of that killer post idea. By now the memory of that idea has been crowded out. 

I’ve done the same thing with login passwords. I have had to come up with a password for something I’ve registered for, but instead of writing that password down on my list, I just tried to remember it for a while … or I wrote the pass code on a scrap piece of paper so I could enter it in my list later. 

But later becomes days, maybe weeks, and I’ve either forgotten where that scrap of paper was or it got thrown out after a while. 

I’d like to tell a story of a spectacular idea I had and how I forgot all about it. If I had remembered it, I would be busy typing about it right now instead of rambling on about not writing down my ideas.

Writing ideas down is not laborious. I have a notes app on my phone that’s always in my pocket. I could easily text a line or two about an idea and it’s preserved.

But doing that would require me to feel at risk of losing my idea in the sea of other thoughts that flood my brain each day.

Instead, I think my thought is so shiny and bright that I will never forget it.

Which reminds me of when I was a kid. In the spring I would float a twig down the river that formed in the ditch on the way home from school. I had no trouble knowing which twig I had put into the flow … until it went into a culvert and I would wait for it to come out the other end. 

Sometimes I would wait and wait and then give up waiting, not really remembering what it looked like or presuming it got stuck inside the culvert and never came out.

At any rate, the twig was gone just like my idea.

Here’s the thing: There are times when you have an experience that could only be from the hand of God. Write it down because, in time, if you don’t, you won’t remember what God has done for you. Then you won’t be able to reflect on it and continue to benefit from His work.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you wish most that you had written down? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Creating Joy For Someone Else Should Be Our Daily Mission
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Creating Joy For Someone Else Should Be Our Daily Mission

Creating joy in someone’s life is a good thing. I think everyone should strive to do it more. 

creating joy for someone else should be our daily mission

Who knows? Maybe we’d have fewer wars in the world; we’d all get along better.

I’m not sure why we don’t intentionally create joy for others. Maybe it’s that we are so self-absorbed with our own stuff that we don’t think of others.

Personality is a factor in creating joy for others as well. Some people just don’t think of it. 

Me, however, I’m often thinking of it – especially with cashiers in whatever store I’m in. I do have to be in the right mood and not in a hurry, but I will often say something or do something that will make them smile.

I’ve also brought a smile to more than one waiter’s face, just by initiating a brief conversation about their day or about customers like me.

It’s pretty easy and it comes naturally to me. 

My wife, Lily, often just shakes her head and smiles, which for me also means I’ve created a little bit of joy for her.

The fact is you feel good when you can put a smile on someone’s face. It’s not much but it makes an impact. 

Recently my brother and I bought scooters. 

Ya, no, not the kind you power by pushing with your foot on the pavement. These are electric and can go 31 kilometres per hour. We got them to bomb around the little beach town we vacation at.

Our wives were not convinced we needed them but we said we could do short grocery runs with them and quickly scoot to the beach to see what the water was like and then report back.

… Sure, that wasn’t all that convincing but we got them anyway. And we’ve been ripping them everywhere, of course with the throttle wide open all the time. 

We’re starting to get a reputation in the park. 

My brother, John, was at the park office talking to the owner who told John he had had to tell a teenager to slow down on her scooter. 

One of the ladies in the office piped up, with a smile on her face, “Yes, I see a couple of grey haired men bombing around on them too!”

A few days later I rode my scooter down to the office. I could see two ladies behind the desk chuckling away. I knew the laughs were for me. So when I entered the office I said to them, “You have to get one. They’re pretty fun.” 

That comment just produced more giggles which worked into me creating joy in their lives.

As I left the office, one of the women said, “You and your brother are reliving your childhood, aren’t you?”

Big smiles all the way around. I was smiling and they both had big grins on their faces. 

Just another day of creating a little joy in someone’s life.

Here’s the thing: God is the source of all joy. If you’ve been touched by the deep joy that God gives, it should be in you to create for others. If you haven’t, I encourage you to seek God. His joy comes as a gift along with His acceptance, love and forgiveness. His joy will help you create joy in other people. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How have you created joy for someone this week? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Knowing Where To Start Is Sometimes The Hardest Part

Have you ever attempted to do something only to realize you don’t really know where to start?

knowing where to start is sometimes the hardest part

That was me the other day when I was staring down the hedge in front of our house.

We hadn’t trimmed it all year and, to be honest, this is a job that my wife, Lily, usually does. What I was looking at was kind of new to me. I didn’t know where to start.

I got the feeling of what it would be like to cut someone’s hair for the first time. 

It looks pretty simple when the barber/hairstylist gives you a trim. But if you had to do it, well, that would be a different thing.

That’s why so many kids got the bowl cut when they were young. 

You know, when your mother would pick an appropriate sized bowl for your head and then just cut around it. You hoped your mom had the philosophy of one size fits all.

I also remember when they came out with the flow bee. It was a vacuum cleaner with some sharp blades at the end of the tube. 

The idea of these, and probably other crazy haircutting ideas, was to make cutting hair simple and quick. 

The problem with them was they left your melon very unattractive. Nobody ever mistook a bowl cut or a flow bee do for a real haircut. 

The reason is there is more to cutting hair than just going at it with a pair of scissors.

However, the other day when I was looking at our hedge, that is exactly what I was about to do – just go at it with the hedge trimmer.

What I didn’t want was my neighbours driving by thinking, “Wow, Paul really put a bowl cut on his hedge.” I was wishing I had taken some kind of barber class, so I had the theory behind getting a good shape on the shrub.

When you think about it, there is a lot of similarities with trimming a head and trimming a hedge.

First you have to cut them, then you have to comb them to make sure you get all the cut hair or stems out of it. Then you have to go back and trim any loose pieces and make sure it is properly shaped. Sometimes you have to do a little more tapering. 

The only thing you don’t do with a hedge is spray it down or put some gel in it to make sure everything stays in place.

Well, I started in on the hedge and though I’m not an expert hedge barber yet, I don’t think I did half bad. 

One thing about the hedge that makes it a little harder than cutting hair is that you are dealing with something that is six to ten feet wide, and not six or seven inches. It’s not easy getting both sides looking the same. 

Anyway, I have a new appreciation for hairstylists.

Here’s the thing: When someone has a desire to read the Bible, it’s not easy to figure out where to start. It’s not like a novel so you don’t have to start at the beginning and read to the end, though I do that every year. Starting in the Book of John will give you a good sense of what God’s desire is for us and how Jesus is key to accomplishing it. From there you can dabble in other parts to get rounded out on the beginning and ending of His creation. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Where do you need to start on something today?

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Suggestions Are Never Easy To Receive

I find that I don’t receive suggestions easily. In fact, my wife, Lily, says I never like her suggestions.

suggestions are never easy to receive

The other day I was having a hard time coming up with an idea for this blog post. I asked Lily what she thought and she said, “Why don’t you write about how you never take my suggestions.”

Right away I didn’t like that suggestion, so I focussed on some other ideas I had. 

But as I began to think more about it, I think she’s right. I’m not really excited about the things she suggests. 

… And it’s not just blog post ideas either. 

Now and then at lunchtime I won’t know what to eat and Lily will say, “Why don’t you have …” and then rhyme off three or four options. 

There’s no way I will like any of them. I think it’s because I lean towards how I feel. I have to feel that the suggestion is right for me. 

I’ve always been this way. And it’s not just with food. 

I remember as a kid being bored out of my mind in the middle of summer. I’d say, “Mom, I’m bored; there’s nothing to do.”

Right off the top of her head she would list six ideas of what I could do … mind you at least two of them would involve some kind of work, like cleaning my room or tidying up the basement. 

But even the good ideas I never liked because I didn’t feel like it. 

So many times when something is suggested to me, it’s how I feel about it right then that keeps me from doing it. 

My kids were the same way when they were young. When they were hungry in the middle of the day or at bedtime … Wait, I can still hear them whine, “Mom, I’m huuungry!”

Lily’s response was always, “Have a banana.” 

The kids liked bananas and they ate them all the time, but they never wanted one when Lily suggested it. 

Maybe it’s not just me that has to feel good about the suggestion to act on it. Maybe we are all like that. 

Is it possible that for a suggestion to be well received it has to come in the right way at the right time in the right place?

I have been in meetings when someone suggested a solution to the problem we were working on and immediately it felt so right that we jumped all over it. 

But most of the time, I’m not really feeling the suggestions that I get from people. 

What I usually have to do is think about them for a while and, as I mull them over, sometimes an aspect of the suggestion starts to resonate. 

Then I can take that suggestion and run with it.

Hey, look at me! I actually wrote a post on a suggestion that Lily gave me. 

Who’d have thought!

Here’s the thing: There are times when we are confronted by sin in our lives. Maybe someone points it out, maybe it comes from inside you, but you don’t want to hear it. However, if you mull it over, that is when you start to feel the need to do something about it. Maybe you’ve heard about having Jesus in your life, but you’ve always responded that it’s not for you. Just mull it over and maybe you will feel differently about it.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What suggestion have you finally received after mulling it over for a while?

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Push Past Your Goals For A More Fulfilling Experience

I have noticed that I often push past my goal or target. I don’t think this is just a “me” thing, but most likely something that many people do. 

push past your goals for a more fulfilling experience

No, I don’t have any research to back up my theory, but I figure I’m a pretty average person. I think it’s something built right into us. 

You see it in the Olympics where some athletes will post a personal best in their event. There is something inside them that makes them go past what they have done or can do.

… But that’s an elite athlete and most of us don’t fall into that category. 

Still, when I go mountain biking at my club, there are many times that I feel tired and only plan on doing the home loop which is about 10 km.

However, almost every time, once I’m out there biking, I will push past my goal and add about 15 minutes to my ride by taking a side trail halfway through the home loop.

Even when I’m a little short on time, I usually push past my original goal and add the extra 3 or 4 kilometres to my ride.

I do this in many areas of my life. 

… Like when I feel I’ve been adding too much sugar to my diet, I will take a break from pop and chips and candy. 

I will arbitrarily set a time frame for myself of maybe a couple of weeks. But as I near the end of my sugar fast I will usually determine to push past my target date and go another few days or weeks.

There is something in us that pushes us on to do more, to go beyond. We want to break what we had hoped for and go past it. 

I did that again just the other day. 

I decided to exercise using my stand up paddle board. Usually I just paddle for a while following the coast line and then return to the beach. As I launched my board, I decided to go for at least a half hour. I picked out a landmark down the beach and started paddling. 

The water was really calm for Lake Huron. I could tell I was reaching my target sooner than I expected. So I looked farther down the beach and picked out another target – much more ambitious. 

But as I got to it, I wondered if I could go to an even further target – a pavilion that was farther away than I have ever paddled. 

And as that pavilion got closer, I thought maybe I could make it all the way to the point at the end of the beach.

I pushed past three targets I had set and came to shore only to turn around and paddle back. 

It took me just over an hour round trip and I paddled about 6.5 kilometres. 

I felt a little tired by the time I got back to my beach chair, but pretty good about what I had done.

There was just something in me that caused me to push past my targets.

Here’s the thing: Many times when I get up late or I’m feeling a little rushed in the morning, I’m tempted to skip my time with God. Instead of doing that, I will set a shorter time and keep my appointment with Him. I find that, almost every time, I push past my set time and spend much longer with God. Keep your appointment with the Lord. Set your goal and then see how you push past it to have a rich, fulfilling meeting with Him.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: In what area have you recently gone beyond your initial goal or target? Leave your comment or questions below. 

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Muscle Memory Never Lets Us Down

It is amazing how we can do something we haven’t done in years and muscle memory kicks in.

muscle memory never lets us down

There is this old saying, “It’s like riding a bike”. Once you learn how to ride a bike, you never forget no matter how much time has passed.

This is true with a lot of things. I remember driving somewhere with my wife, Lily, and a song came on the radio. I hadn’t heard that song for maybe twenty years, but as soon as the first note struck, I knew all the words. And I could whistle the guitar solo like I heard the song yesterday.

There is something called muscle memory. We use this term to describe all kinds of activities we can just pick up and do even after a long period of not doing them. 

It’s not really muscle memory, but it’s similar. Muscle memory is when a muscle that was previously exercised will gain strength and volume quicker than a muscle that has previously not been trained.

Whatever term we use, we all know it has something to do with picking up where we left off. Your body or mind don’t forget what you have already done and learned.

As a kid I learned how to yo-yo at my dad’s variety store. The yo-yo man would come by and line us up and teach us tricks every year. 

That was many years ago, and as a married adult I remember one time being with my dad in a department store. I came across an aisle that had some novelty toys in it. There were some yo-yo’s there so I picked one up. It had been a long time since I had spun a yo-yo. 

When my dad saw me with a yo-yo in hand he grabbed one too and, for about ten minutes, we put on a show for the modestly growing crowd that formed.

My dad and I did tricks with those tops that we had not done in decades. It just all came back.

Well, the other day I had a similar experience. I was about to preach a sermon for the first time in almost two years. I didn’t think much of it when I was asked, but as the date came closer, I had some doubts about speaking. 

Lily had even noticed the week of that I was a little uptight and a bit short with her at times. She wondered if it was because I was slightly nervous about preaching.

The morning of I felt a little nervous. 

You know, standing in front of a bunch of people you don’t want to have a brain freeze or to get all shaky.

When I was introduced, I took a big breath and whispered to Lily, “Here goes nothing.”

I walked up to the platform, still a little nervous. I put my Bible and iPad down on the podium, looked up and started talking. 

Almost immediately after I opened my mouth, I relaxed and the 37 years of speaking in front of people kicked in. 

I knew I would be okay.

Here’s the thing: When there has been some time since you last connected with God in prayer, that old relationship, the words you used to express your love and hope in Him, will all come back. It’s not like starting from scratch; it’s like muscle memory. You pick up talking and listening to God like you never stopped. So what are you waiting for? Take time today to spend with your Lord and Saviour in prayer. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How long has it been since you just sat quietly before God and sensed His presence with you?

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Your Gene Pool Is More Extensive Than You Think

You never get too far away from your gene pool. Some people inherit bad health from their parents. Others get great athletic ability or creativity from their ancestors. 

your gene pool is more extensive than you think

Me? Well, one thing I got was my dad’s ability to spill food on all his clothes.

My wife, Lily, has been telling me our entire marriage that I should bring my plate closer to me, shortening the gap between my food and my mouth, creating less of a chance that my fork full of food will hit my lap on the way to my pie hole.

I try but I think it’s in my genes. My dad was a master.

There was a time when my family was out for dinner with Dad and he was having a baked potato with his meal. Dad liked to put lots of butter on his spuds, so he began loading up. 

I’m not sure if it was the dim lighting of the restaurant or that the potato appeared to be soaking up the butter, but dad ended up with a pool of butter on his plate with his sleeve acting like a “Bounty-quicker-picker-upper” paper towel. 

The butter was dripping from his arm and pooling on the table.

On another occasion, when having some pizza in the park with my brother’s family and mine, Dad decided that marinara sauce was a great dip for the pizza. 

He had marinara on everything. In fact, 25 years later, our families can’t say the word “marinara” without thinking of Dad and getting a big grin on our faces.

But maybe the best time was a stop at an ice cream stand on a Sunday afternoon. Dad loved a good black cherry cone and that’s what he ordered. 

It didn’t help that the day was very hot and humid and that he had his light blue seersucker suit on. But that ice cream cone was melting faster than he could lick the drips that were cascading down the cone. 

When he was done, Dad had ice cream on his tie, his shirt right at his belly, his pants and even a dollop on his white loafers. It was a perfect four-point landing for the ice cream. It might even be a record.

When I say he was a master with the spills, I’m not exaggerating. 

And somehow I got some of his genes. 

This morning I made my breakfast on the stove: egg whites in a pan with ham, cheese and Frank’s red hot sauce, folded over into something that looks like an enchilada.

It was a beautiful, sunny morning so I decided to eat it out on the deck with my half a grapefruit.

I was leaning over the foot rest where I’d set my plate. It was lower than the chair so I wanted to be careful. 

Then for some reason I thought that, if I picked up my plate and brought it closer to my mouth, it would be better.

It was a very short distance, but there was a gap and as I raised the fork to my mouth, some of the hot sauce flung itself out at me, landing several drips onto my shorts – light grey coloured shorts to be exact. 

I’ll be changing my outfit for the day. 

That darn gene pool.

Here’s the thing: As much as we like to think we are different from our forefathers, we are so much like them. The same propensity to sin that Adam and Eve had, we have inherited honestly. So the most reasonable thing to do is to seek God and His forgiveness through Jesus Christ. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: In what ways have you found yourself to be just like your parents? Leave your comments and questions below.

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I’m Surprised Every Time I’m Asked For More

When I’m asked for my input, I’m always surprised more is expected of me.

I'm surprised every time I'm asked for more

We’ve all heard the statement, “This isn’t what I signed up for.” Usually we make that statement because there is more to be done than we had initially thought.

… Like when a friend asks you to help him move out of his small apartment, in your mind you estimate a quick job, thinking it will be simple. So you agree to help.

But when you get to his apartment, you’re surprised. Nothing has been packed and your friend doesn’t have enough boxes. This means that the truck will not be loaded in a neat uniform, stacking format. Odd shaped individual items will create a haphazard, uneven load … and the move will take twice as long as you thought. 

This type of scenario happens to us repeatedly. And we are surprised every time.

As much as we don’t want it to happen, we can’t seem to learn from the previous experiences.

There have been times when I’ve gotten a phone call asking if I would complete a short survey. They promise it will only take five minutes … but it never does. 

Then they ask you to use only the words they give you to describe your answer. So your answer isn’t really how you feel. You want to answer “fine” but they will only accept “substandard” or “outstanding”. “Fine” doesn’t fit with either of those two options.

What bugs me is I fall for these asks over and over. I’m surprised every time and have to slap myself on the back of the head because I’ve gotten sucked in once again.

Apps are famous for asking us to rate them. They offer 5 stars to pick from. But when you do, they take you to another page with a series of questions they want you to answer.

This week I got an email about a product I purchased from Amazon. I saw the five stars and, like some kid who’s repeated grade 9 math four times, I hit the star of my choosing. Instead of accepting my rating, I was whisked away to a site that not only wanted a star rating but also a title for a review.  

“Great”, I typed. But that was not enough. They wanted a picture of the item … probably a picture of me holding the item with a big smile on my face. 

They also wanted a review of up to 200 characters. Without providing all this information I was not able to submit my rating. 

I spent another two or three minutes trying to get around having to provide all their requirements and finally quit the rating review all together. 

What a waste of time. No one was satisfied. They didn’t get a rating and I spent way too long attempting to give one.

The worst thing is that in six months I’m probably going to get a request to rate another purchase or an app that I used … and I will have forgotten the whole experience, expecting to click on 4 stars out of 5 and be done. 

Here’s the thing: There is more to our life than we realize. When you put your faith in Christ, He accepts you as you are, but He will ask you to grow deeper with Him and it will require more of you. The difference is the more you get to know Christ, the more you trust Him. You will give more of yourself to Him because you want to. Giving to God comes from a desire to enjoy Him more.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What has surprised you lately? Leave your comments and questions below.

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