Month: January 2026

My ten-year-old granddaughter just got braces on her front teeth. They are tight and uncomfortable, and she’s afraid other kids might make fun of her. She’s heard other kids called names such as Metal Mouth and Brace Face. But she told me she’s willing to endure it because “one day my teeth will be perfect!”

Kind of like a metaphor for life, isn’t it? We endure pain, discomfort and adversity, and maybe even ridicule, but try our best to hold on to our faith, because we trust that, some day, we’ll be taken up to a place that is perfect. The reward is worth the journey.

Thinking about that should bring a wide smile to your face. Even if you’re wearing braces.

I am so thankful that you subscribe to these little blogs each day. I appreciate you taking a moment to read them. I try to keep them brief because your time is valuable. When you think about it, time is our most precious gift. Nothing else matters if you run out of time.

You only get so much of it. Once it passes, you never get it back. Spend it wisely. Don’t waste it on things that don’t really matter in the big picture. Use it to love, to serve, to encourage, to help, to console, to bring laughter, to support. When your time is up, you will be remembered for what you did, not what you had.

I would be honored if you would recommend my blog to someone else. Someone who might need a daily dose of a little encouragement. I promise I will do my best not to waste their time. Nor yours.

I’m taking my seven-year-old grandson to basketball practice tonight. It will be freezing cold outside. The practices are routine and kind of boring to watch. I’ll miss a good football game on TV. And truth be told, I don’t even think my grandson really wants to go. He’s into playing the games, not so much going to practice. So I don’t think either one of us is particularly looking forward to it.

It is, however, a chance to spend some time with him. I don’t take that for granted. Before you know it, he will be more into his friends and teenager stuff, and he won’t need grandpa to take him anywhere. He won’t miss our little journeys together. But I will.

Treasure whatever time you get with those you love. You only get so much of it.

We love live theater. We attend all of the community theater events and the Broadway in Birmingham performances. I am always impressed by folks who have been blessed with performing talent, but even more impressed at their ability to memorize volumes of dialog and choreography. I can’t remember what I had for breakfast. And that was fifteen minutes ago.

Actors take us on an escape from reality. Through them, we journey to places and situations we find funny, or sad, or scary or exciting. When the play is over, it’s back to reality. I walk out envious of the performers and their skill.

But in a sense, we’re all on stage. It’s helpful to keep in mind God has a script and a role for us in our routine lives. And if we are faithful to it, the encore performance will last for eternity.

Take care of yourself. You are no good to anybody if you are so busy and stressed out that you can’t function, are always in a grumpy mood, or in pain. You can’t do it all. You need rest, sleep, nourishment, and the company of good people.

Ask for help if you are overwhelmed. I know you don’t want to impose on others. Perhaps you don’t want to feel indebted to folks. Get out of that mindset. Your friends want to help you. It makes them feel good. Don’t be embarrassed to share your burdens. We’re all flawed. No decent person will think poorly of you.

You’re not superhuman. Recognize your limitations. Make time for your own health and well being. Be your best so that you can help others to thrive. It’s not selfish. It’s just smart.

Watch a newborn baby during the first few months of life. The infant stares at his hands and feet, having no idea what they are, or what to use them for. He must teach himself how to grip something, how to use his legs for leverage to roll over, and eventually crawl.

It doesn’t help that his vision is not yet clear. It won’t be for about six months. But once the baby is able to see clearly, she will watch you intently. Whether you realize it or not, you will teach the child to walk, to talk and to think analytically. This will happen because your child wants to emulate you. Copy everything you do. You will be that little person’s role model.

That process will never end as long as you live. Your child will continue to be profoundly influenced by you until the day you die, and perhaps even after. What he or she becomes will, in large part, depend on what you have demonstrated is possible.

Good to keep in mind.

When it comes to attending a show or an event of some sort in a theater, the general theory is that, the closer you are to the front, the better your seats. The best seats, then, would be in the front row. However, if you sit in the front row, you will also be among the very last people to leave the theater, especially if everyone is exiting to the rear.

This means you will be among the last to get to the parking lot, which will make you among the last to get out of the parking lot. Kind of reminds me of that verse in the Bible, Matthew 20:16, “So the last will be first and the first will be last.” Putting yourself in the front row of your priorities in life will catch up to you in the end.

Put others ahead of you. It makes for a much better trip to the exit.

Sharon and I recently attended a musical at a large theater. I had ordered our tickets so far ahead of time that we actually got seats in the front row. During parts of the play, the performers would walk down off the stage to the floor and dance and sing right in front of us. We could have reached out and touched them.

But one thing I noticed is that the actors, even though they were eye level with us, weren’t looking at us. They were looking past us. They were playing to the audience behind us. I can certainly understand why, but it was a strange feeling, almost like they were ignoring us. Like pretending we weren’t even there.

I couldn’t resist the metaphor. Sometimes we look past the people who are closest to us. We take them for granted. We focus on trying to impress others who are further away. Don’t let that happen.

Make sure your family and closest friends are always on your center stage.

We recently visited a very popular theme park. We parked in the middle of a monstrous, sprawling parking lot. We did our best to try to memorize landmarks so we could find our car when it was time to leave. We stayed until after nightfall and rode a tram back to the parking lot, but when we got off, we found ourselves surrounded by thousands of cars, and in the dark they all looked the same.

It had gotten cold outside and we shivered as we walked up and down several rows, desperately looking for our gray SUV. After several minutes, I pushed the emergency button on my key fob. About fifty feet away from us, our car suddenly lit up and the horn began blaring. I can’t tell you how happy we were to walk toward that light.

Ever felt lost in the darkness? Jesus can be your light. Walk toward Him.

When you are driving through busy city streets and you encounter a car on a sideroad needing to turn on to your street, will you stop and let them in? It’s a simple act of courtesy and kindness, and it’s amazing how much influence it can have on somebody’s day.

If I’m desperately waiting for someone to let me in, and no one does, I get immediately grumpy and frustrated. But if a driver will stop short and wave me through, I am suddenly filled with joy and relief. I’ll give that driver a friendly and appreciative wave, and my mood will improve dramatically.

Such a little thing, but such a big difference it can make. Keep it in mind next time you’re on the road.