October 27, 2008

"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works." Hebrews 10:24

One of my favorite people who lived "love" to me when I was growing up was Ruth Greene. Mrs. Greene was always encouraging (provoking?) me to do better, especially with my spelling. (She taught 6^{th grade at Baton Elementary for decades) She was always gentle and soft spoken. But one trait she had always baffled me. No matter what happened, who did it or how it turned out; Mrs. Green would apologize for it. She always wanted to fix it or make things right, no matter who did it. She was a "Fixer." A "fixer' is someone who sees someone unhappy and always tries to change them. Someone that tries to do God's work: Save someone from a mistake, from a sin, from a terrible decision. A "fixer" is usually a compassionate person (good), who personally wants people to change for the better (good), but subconsciously assumes the blame when not everyone is happy or changes (very bad!). By always trying to make things better, a "fixer" often interferes with the work of God, for it is often through tough times that God develops someone's spiritual character. We should allow God to use us in other's lives; we should not assume that we, by ourselves, can alleviate all their problems and mistakes. That is God's job. If you tend to be a "fixer" by nature, meditate on this familiar prayer:}

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." St. Francis of Assisi

Thought for the week: No husband has ever been shot while doing the dishes

Funny for the week: A magazine recently ran a "Dilbert Quotes" contest. They were looking for people to submit quotes from their real-life Dilbert-type managers. These were voted the top quotes in corporate America :

"As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday, and employees will receive their cards in two weeks."

(This was the winning quote from Fred Dales, Microsoft Corp. in Redmond WA )

"What I need is an exact list of specific unknown problems we might encounter."

( Lykes Lines Shipping)

"E-mail is not to be used to pass on information or data. It should be used only for company business."

(Accounting manager, Electric Boat Company)

"This project is so important we can't let things that are more important interfere with it."

(Advertising/Marketing manager, United Parcel Service)

"Doing it right is no excuse for not meeting the schedule."

(Plant Manager, Delco Corporation)

"No one will believe you solved this problem in one day! We've been working on it for months. Now go act busy for a few weeks and I'll let you know when it's time to tell them."

(R&D supervisor, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing/3M Corp.)

Quote from the Boss: "Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say."

(Marketing executive, Citrix Corporation)

My sister passed away and her funeral was scheduled for Monday. When I told my Boss, he said she died on purpose so that I would have to miss work on the busiest day of the year. He then asked if we could change her burial to Friday. He said, "That would be better for me."

(Shipping executive, FTD Florists)

"We know that communication is a problem, but the company is not going to discuss it with the employees."

(Switching supervisor, AT&T Long Lines Division)

Kinda takes the wonder out of what makes companies go under…..Chaplain Barnes

Last week’s answer: What was Daniel’s Babylonian name? Belteshazzar (Dan 1:4)

This week’s question: Which book in the Bible has the longest word in it?

"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works." Hebrews 10:24