One of the things that happens when we feel the blues, is that we lose our inspiration. We lose our motivation to get things done. Fast Company put out a great recent article with four steps to overcoming the ‘winter blues.’ The one we really like is the 15-minute project. Set aside 15 minutes and complete a small task. Complete a couple of 15-minute tasks, and would be ready for bigger projects.
“When the last thing you want to do on a cold winter morning is draft the PowerPoint presentation for Thursday’s product review meeting, turn to your 15-minute list.
A 15-minute list is a list of tasks that you can do in 15 minutes or less. For example, call and schedule your dog’s annual check-up at the vet, prepare an agenda for your meeting with your direct report, or brainstorm topics for the monthly newsletter. These are easy, quick tasks that you can complete with minimum effort and brainpower.
As you quickly cross items off your 15-minute list, it jump-starts your mojo and productivity. Feeling the warm glow of getting things done, you are now ready to move onto the product review meeting PowerPoint.” More from Fast Company
The American Psychiatric Association has listed the following symptoms to take note of:
Feel sad, persistently, over several days.
Losing interest in activities that you once liked.
A sudden change in your appetite, coupled with weight gain or weight loss. Difficulty sleeping.
Low energy and persistent fatigue.
Feelings of guilt or worthlessness.
Recurring purposeless physical activity (like nail biting, hand-wringing).
Increased difficulty when making decisions or solving problems.
Thoughts of death or suicide.
Be sure to be on watch for these symptoms and if they occur, it’s important to take action. For starters, what are you doing throughout the day or week that may be destructive behavior. Are you letting negative self-talk take hold in your heart? Are you endlessly scrolling on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or the social media site of choice? Are you constantly comparing yourself to others?
It’s time to read an dive into God’s Word daily and start to apply the life-giving principles.
Whatever the issue, fix it. If you don’t see a noticeable difference quickly, then seek professional help.
Author Marshall Goldsmith wrote an excellent book a few years ago named Triggers – Creating the Behavior That Lasts. The first part of the book was kind of a slow read, and honestly, I wasn’t sure I was getting much out of it. But that changed with the second half of the best-selling book.
Goldsmith dived into the power of ‘active’ questions. Instead of asking yourself passive questions about your day or your accomplishments, or lack thereof, he recommended the need for active questions as well as doing this with an accountability partner.
The author arrived at a list of 22 action questions that his accountability partner would ask him at the end of day. These included:
Did I do my best to set clear goals?
Did I do my best to make progress towards goal achievement?
Did I do my best to be happy?
Did I do my best to build positive relationships?
Did I do my best to learn something new?
Did I do my best to be grateful for what I have?
Did I do my best to avoid proving I’m right when it’s not worth it?
Did I do my best to say or do something nice for [insert name]?
Did I do my best to exercise?
So, start today. Come up with 10 items and evaluate your performance based on “Did I do my best?” It may be a sobering test but life changing.
One Sunday I preached about Jesus’ encounter with the leper in Matthew 8. What an incredible story told in just a handful of verses. It seems as Jesus was coming down the mountain from delivering the greatest sermon in the history of mankind (the Sermon on the Mount), a leper came and knelt before him. The audacity of this leper! Imagine the moment. The crowd is pressing in behind Jesus and they’re taking up the whole road. When out of nowhere a leper appears and throws himself at the feet of Jesus.
Now lepers were outcasts…the most unclean of the unclean. It was illegal for them to even be on the road at the same time as a non-leprous person. Imagine the gasp that went through the crowd as this unclean leper steps into the middle of the road and brings the whole entourage to a screeching halt. All eyes are on Jesus and this leper. In one collective intake of breath, all wait to see what would happen.
Bible scene historical reenactment play with a leprosy man
Almost every time I read the Bible, I am blown away by Jesus. Jesus could heal people with a word. He could heal them from far off. He could heal them by telling them some outrageous thing to do and if they had enough faith to obey him, they would be healed. In this instance, Jesus does the most shocking, unthinkable thing. He touches the leper!
In my mind, it wasn’t a nice little “lay your hand on the cheek” sort of touch. The leper would have been clothed in rags from head to toe. He was on his knees. In what must have sent shockwaves through the crowd, Jesus probably got down on his knees and reached up and removed the lepers coverings…his veil and his head covering. He would have looked at this outcast of society directly in the eyes and reaching out and placed his non-diseased hands upon the flesh of the diseased man. Why would Jesus do this, when he could have healed him with a word?
In my opinion, Jesus was into shocking those around him. He had just got done preaching to the crowds. He had told them “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” Instead of being like so many who say the grandiose mottos and catchphrases of Christianity, Jesus knew that the best way to drive his point home was to do.
One of the many things that I admire about Jesus, and why I want to be so much like him, is that he was not just a talker…he was a doer. If he told people to “love others,” he went out and did it. If he told people to “do to others what you would have them do to you,” he went out and did it. He was so unlike the many church goers that fill up our churches on Sundays but live without love and compassion and faith the rest of the week. This must stop if we are going to change the world!
In January we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr Day in the United States. Why do so many admire this man? After all, he was a living, breathing man not unlike us. The thing that I think made MLK Jr a hero is that he didn’t just talk his faith, he walked it. He had the courage to do what he knew needed to be done. There were many who spoke out against segregation and inequality, but few that would put themselves out there to be stoned, spat upon, hit, jailed, mocked, ridiculed, and killed. The people that we look to as hero’s, were hero’s because they “did” what they knew needed to be done.
What about you and I? Jesus touched the leper in one of the most touching and loving stories in the whole Bible. Do we touch the lepers in our society? Do we practice what we preach? If we truly did, this would would be a much different place. If we followers of Jesus really imitated Jesus, there would be a lot more people attracted to him and to his church. When we leave our church buildings after our weekly “sermon on the mount,” we have to “do” it! We have to go against our societal and religious norms and reach out to “touch the leper.”
Today’s Faith Action Item
My friends, this week I challenge you to “touch a leper” in your life. Some outcast, some down on their luck person, some abused child, someone whom society and the church typically turns their back on and looks down upon will come into your path. “Touch the Leper!” I dare you…and watch what God does in your life and in the life of that leper!
– James Smith serves as a preacher at Cornerstone Christian Church in Cynthiana, Ky. He is an author of The House that Richard Built (ebook released in 2012 from All Star Press) as well as numerous magazine/study guide publications. He is also a regular presenter at training seminars and conferences on a number of issues. James serves as the Mayor of the great town of Cynthiana, Kentucky.
— originally published in Jan. 2012 at allstarpress.com, edited and re-published here.
Having trouble with something? Is there a particular problem that you have struggled with for, oh, too long? Is something keeping you up at night? It’s time to ask for wisdom. There is no secret, complicated recipe. It’s as simple as asking your Father in Heaven.
James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Pray for wisdom in whatever particular situation you are struggling with today. Be confident that the Maker of the Heavens and the Earth will give you the wisdom that you require in dealing with this particular problem. All that is required of you is that you have the faith to step up and ask for wisdom.
This is the gripping and moving story of a baby diagnosed with Trisomy 18, a genetic disorder in which a person has a third copy of material from chromosome 18. “I Am Not a Syndrome – My Name is Simon” by Trisomy mom Sheryl Crosier details the struggle of her son Simon from the early stages of pregnancy to his life here on earth for 88 1/2 days… read on about Simon.
One of the things that happens when we feel the blues, is that we lose our inspiration. We lose our motivation to get things done. Fast Company put out a great recent article with four steps to overcoming the ‘winter blues.’ The one we really like is the 15-minute project. Set aside 15 minutes and complete a small task. Complete a couple of 15-minute tasks, and would be ready for bigger projects.
The American Psychiatric Association has listed the following symptoms to take note of:
Having trouble with something? Is there a particular problem that you have struggled with for, oh, too long? Is something keeping you up at night? It’s time to ask for wisdom. There is no secret, complicated recipe. It’s as simple as asking your Father in Heaven.