Jonathots Daily Blog
(3336)
A. He is accustomed to pulling things
B. Proficient with drills
C. He gets his face a little close to his work
D. He is always looking for teeth
E. Just the wrong kind of cavity
Jonathots Daily Blog
(2348)
I have had a cold where my nose ran incessantly.
Also, a toothache which persisted until I went to the dentist.
In addition, I have had a bout with diarrhea which perched me on the porcelain all day long.
In each of these cases, I found myself at the mercy of a situation beyond my control. I would characterize that experience as unpleasant. Yet for some reason, in the pursuit of avoiding personal introspection and repentance, we keep unnecessary, nasty vices inside us and rationalize them as part of being a human being.
Lying is one of them.
Even though religion tells us that we’re all basically evil and therefore prone to tell untruths and to deceive, and entertainment finds lying cute–especially between men and women–and politicians revel in the notion that a certain amount of lying is required to push forth the truth, we must comprehend that lying is a conscious decision made by each of us, even though we know the truth is readily available.
Lying is not spontaneous.
Lying is not something that overcomes us.
It is a choice we make–a fork in the road–and each and every time we do it, it is obvious and a spark of conscience flies off inside us, reminding us that what we just said is completely inaccurate.
But you see, here’s the kicker: even though we portray in all of our religion, entertainment and politics that lying is human, none of us will accept it when others lie to us.
We become enraged, self-righteous and swear to never trust them again.
Such hypocrisy.
And if you’re looking for a warning sign to foretell your failure and the demise of your character, hypocrisy is always the chief demon.
So let me tell you three things to help you understand why lying is not human, but rather, one of the more inhuman things we do to one another:
1. Doing what you hate is hating what you’re doing.
I have never known a liar who, in moments of reflection, does not suffer from self-loathing. Because we hate lying, we eventually have to hate ourselves. So all conversations about self-esteem are useless until we cleanse ourselves from the unrighteousness of lying.
2. If words permit lies, people just stop talking.
It’s why married couples stop yapping to each other. Because lies, cheating and missteps have been tolerated in order to maintain an unsettled peace, people stop talking.
3. When we finally accept that lying is a hypocritical option, then we discover that the three statements that slay the dragon of the forked tongue are:
A. “I was wrong.”
B. “I will do this.”
C. “I don’t know.”
When you’re willing to be honest about your mistakes, forthcoming about what you will and won’t do, and completely candid about what you know and what is beyond your comprehension, you become invaluable because people can trust what you say.
Human beings were created in Eden. Liars were kicked out.
While we are concerned about sins of the flesh, the real downfall in the human family is deception in the heart.
Lying is not human. It is a decision by people who could do better to do worse … and be mean to one another.
The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity
The Sermon on the Mount in music and story. Click the mountain!
Click here to get info on the “Gospel According to Common Sense” Tour
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Jonathots Daily Blog
(2294)
When procrastination and fear get together, they certainly do resemble laziness.
Matter of fact, millions of people castigate themselves for being lazy, practicing deep breathing exercises and trying to walk on the treadmill, only to end up, when the day is finished, with the task incomplete.
I really don’t think most people are lazy. They are victims of a common human emotional disorder:
“I’m putting this off because I’m afraid I’m going to fail.”
Now, I suppose you can try to kill your fear or fake enthusiasm, but I think that’s just placing a band-aid on a gaping wound.
Here are three suggestions on how to get yourself going when procrastination and fear have done their best to make you look lazy:
1. Begin your day with a good conversation.
Honestly, the worst place to live is in your own head. It may be where you store wisdom, but it shares the room with your doubt and fear. It’s just good to hear another voice say something different from what you’re thinking. It’s the purpose of fellowship. If you live by yourself, pick up the phone and make human contact. It isn’t good for us to be alone and when we are, we fall victim to our own insecurities.
2. Start out doing something else.
Don’t begin by working on your main project. Life is a lot like waffles–the first thing you do is never going to be as smooth as the second through the last. So do something else. Practice efficiency. Ease your way into excellence.
If you have to go to the dentist at ten o’clock and you’re not looking forward to it, then do something else at nine o’clock to give yourself a sense of well-being and accomplishment before you get drilled.
3. And finally, get away from the common.
Repetition is really noisy. It’s also where we make the most mistakes. When we believe we know something really well, we remove the valuable tension that creates the kind of focus that generates success.
It places a little jeopardy into the situation, which makes for a very good mind exercise.
You’re never going to get rid of your procrastination. Likewise, chasing your fears is similar to trying to hold jello in your hands.
But what you can do is hear fresh voices from other folk, pursue an alternative idea to get you warmed up, and choose a unique path to travel to where you’re going.
Because the secret to life is not overcoming our foibles.
The secret to life is learning how to avoid them and not put them in the controlling position.
The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity
Click here to get info on the “Gospel According to Common Sense” Tour
Please contact Jonathan’s agent, Jackie Barnett, at (615) 481-1474, for information about scheduling SpiriTed in 2014.
Click here to listen to Spirited music
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A voice writing in the wilderness
Jonathots Daily Blog 