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We used to have a cute little dachshund named Oscar. Wiener dogs have a reputation for being fiercely loyal and protective of their masters. Occasionally, I would plop down into my living room recliner and take a nap. Inevitably, my mouth would fall open and I would begin breathing heavily, or even snore a bit.

Apparently, Oscar, upon seeing and hearing this, thought I was in some sort of distress. So he would jump on to my chest and begin licking my face intensely. It would scare the beejeebers out of me! But it meant a lot to me that the little critter cared so much for my well being that he rushed to my aid when he thought I was in danger.

It’s always a blessing to let people know they are loved. Nobody gets tired of love being demonstrated for them.

Probably not a good idea to lick them in the face though.

It is truly amazing what human beings can train themselves to do when they focus on a goal. Run a marathon. Go back to school at night and get a masters degree or a doctorate. Climb the world’s most treacherous mountain. Love your child with impossible patience. Fly an airplane. Lose great amounts of weight. Memorize long passages of text. Rise to the top of your company.

All of these things begin with a goal, and then plenty of hard work, focus and determination. You can change your spiritual life in this way as well. Choose to resist evil, and to walk a godly path. Focus on it every day. Let nothing deter you from your goal.

You can do this. You have it within you to lift up, to bless, to encourage, to help and to serve. Let the training begin today.

I have always had a desire for true humility. I don’t have it, and I’m not even sure what it looks like. But I think I found out the other day what it feels like.

I was playing the MarioKart video game with my four year old grandson. It’s a car race where you and the other player compete against ten computer-generated cars. Despite being such a little tot, my grandson is amazingly good at this game. On this occasion he finished first. Meanwhile I crashed a few times, and got really frustrated when other virtual drivers were hitting me with fireballs and bombs. I came in last, and threw down the remote control in disgust. “Take it easy grampa”, my four year old said. “It’s only a game.”

Now that was humbling.

I had my annual eye exam the other day. I’ve always been quite near-sighted. It’s amazing to me that a certain lens in front of your eyes, be it glasses or contacts, can completely correct your faulty vision, or at least bring vast improvement. One instant the whole world is a blur, put on your glasses, you see sharply and clearly.

The Bible can do that for your life. Morality and values are a moving target these days. The line between what is right and what is wrong can get blurry as well. God wants you to have 20-20 vision when it comes to your eternal future.

His word can be your eye chart.

Unless you never use the internet for anything, chances are your phone number and email address are out there. They are being sold to businesses who will contact you relentlessly in an attempt to sell you something. Some may even try to scam you out of your savings.

Privacy is hard to find these days. Security cameras, drones and artificial intelligence are tracking your locations, your purchases, even the TV programs you watch. It’s more important than ever to be careful about who you trust.

Thankfully, there is one you know you can always put your faith in.

Mornings are important. They set the tone for your entire day. Don’t spend your mornings stressing out about all your tasks. Make it a point to spend a few moments giving thanks for all of your blessings. You should go into your day feeling as though you are ahead of the game. That you can handle whatever comes your way.

Give yourself something to look forward to. An activity you enjoy, or just the chance to be with someone you love. Be determined to be at peace. Be prepared to resist anger. Carry joy with you everywhere.

You just may find it is contagious. Instead of letting everything around you bring you down, be the one who brings everything around you up. It all starts with your mindset in the morning. You control it.

I was driving through town when I approached a red light. Several cars were ahead of me waiting for the light to change. I glanced to my right and saw a car attempting to come out of a business parking lot on to the street. I stopped short to allow the driver to come out in front of me. The driver pulled out without so much as acknowledging me.

I know we are supposed to be kind just for kindness sake, but I confess I was annoyed. How rude and ungrateful, I thought, to not even give me a wave, or some indication of gratitude. What good is a good deed if nobody knows you’ve done it?

Somebody does know. You did it for Him. I need to keep that in mind.

Fasting has become a trendy way to lose weight. I guess you could call it the ultimate diet. You just don’t eat. Folks like it because weight loss is quick and steep. It’s the closest thing to instant gratification that the dieting world can provide. I admire people who can do it effectively. Fasting is also commonly done for spiritual reasons. Sacrificing the joy of food to demonstrate one’s will to serve God’s purpose.

I’ve tried it, but I lack the willpower. When I’m fasting, I’m constantly thinking about food, and how hungry I am. When I come off the fast, I eat twice as much to compensate. Being hungry makes me grumpy. I think the term coined for it is “hangry”.

Another weight loss strategy is to actually eat more often. To consume a very small amount of food several times a day. Now there’s a plan I can get behind. Weight loss will be slower but steady. That’s okay. Patience is easier than sacrifice.

I sit down in front of my computer and fire it up. I need to find some important information from my bank account. As the machine boots up, the cover page of my desktop is jam packed with enticing headlines, all trying to lure me into clicking on what appear to be fascinating articles about the lives of movie stars, or a breaking news item about my football team, or a can’t-fail scheme to make a fortune, or an extreme political view.

Sometimes I can’t resist, even though I know most of it is just click bait. The stories seldom actually reveal anything substantive, or even true. Often, I get to reading some of these things, and then turn the computer off, completely forgetting my original purpose. I lack focus.

The quality of your life depends on your ability to identify the things that are truly important, the things that bring you real joy, and to focus on them. Don’t be distracted by splashy, superficial things that don’t matter. Don’t let your life become click bait.

About a year ago I was pressure washing my driveway when I felt the urge to sneeze. The sudden jerk of my body during the sneeze caused my arm to point inward, spraying the jetted water on my leg. The blast only hit me for less than a second, yet it still left a nasty gash in my leg. The power of water under high pressure is amazing.

The wound healed but morphed into an ugly scar about two inches long, just below my knee. It looked, I thought, like the kind of scar that would remain the rest of my life. Just great. Now every time I wear shorts I will have to explain to people the stupid way I got the blemish.

But somehow, oh so gradually, the mark shrunk smaller and smaller. I was noticing today, just over a year later, it is pretty much completely gone.

They say time heals all wounds. If you are troubled, stressed and worried about something in your life, maybe the answer is to just give it some time. The human body has an amazing ability to heal. Perhaps the mind and the soul can heal as well.