Black and White
July 18, 2024
Black and White
Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash
There is an old joke:
What’s black and white and red all over (real spelling — read)?
Drum roll.
The newspaper.
Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash
WHITE is the color of milk and fresh snow. Not very descriptive, but beautiful in contrast with other colors.
BLACK is the very darkest color owing to the absence of or complete absorption of light; opposite of white. Again, contrast adds delight.
While both are beautiful alone, they are seldom seen alone and difficult to perceive when they are.
In PHYSICS, it is the very darkest color owing to the absence of or complete absorption of light; opposite of white.
I never met either color of person.
Our colorfulness is what makes us part of a wonderful human family.
Our varied cultures are given to be gifts.
Our histories, painful and joyful bring color to our music and art as well as to our shared values.
We have culture because we are multi-cultural.
Otherwise, we rob ourselves of our wealth.
I have met some dead people who had extreme colors — — but those who are alive, no matter how colorful, are neither all or nothing of anything.
I have met many on a continuum as we all are … descendants of common ancestors and cultures. We absorb many colors and lights. That is good.
Any claim to superiority is misinformed and ignorant.
Our uniqueness is good, but so are our commonalities. All enrich what is already rich.
Race, as we define it today, is an allusion designed to separate or to dominate.
Celebrate your own heritage and that of your neighbors.
PACE Yourself and Other Words of Advice for the Day
“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.” — Proverbs 23:4 (NIV)
This may seem like a rather strange admonition, but it is absolutely necessary to remind ourselves of its truth. Many people simple do not succeed in the race to riches because they wear themselves out in the first lap or two. Or they accumulate some quick wealth and lose health or life itself and never get to enjoy it. Short sprints in life’s long haul are necessary for competition of the marathon. Pacing oneself, taking breaks, knowing limitations, setting boundaries, and balance are some of the secrets of maximum effectiveness.
PACE yourself.
P — Practice restraint. Solomon urges us to hold back some effort. Usually it is unproductive, frenzied, thoughtless activities that we need to curtail in order to be more effective.
A — Assign yourself times to work and specific tasks to do. Also assign yourself times for rest, refreshment, and recovery. Assign and follow through. Keep your life in balance.
C — Create spaces for thought, reflection, renewal, and creative thinking. Create space for family. Money is not the most important thing in your life. It is the freedom to pursue what is valuable that makes money attractive. Do not lose that perspective.
E — Excuse yourself from attempts to overload you (by others) or yourself by yourself with good things that rob your energy from the things that are best. Make wise choices.
I also recommend The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal.
“When suddenly you seem to lose all you thought you had gained, do not despair.. Don’t say “I have to start all over again.” This is not true. What you have gained you have gained.. When you return to the road, you return to the place where you left it, not to where you started.” — Henri Nouwen
A Case of the Pace
For people of faith who have a history with God, even when we doubt, we cry out to Him. Even when we waver, we never stray far from faith. Our teetering, pathetic faith is in a strong and good God and the mustard seeds of belief that we toss into the ground continue to move the mountains of despair.
“ Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!
Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
For our soul is bowed down to the dust;
our belly clings to the ground.
Rise up; come to our help!
Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!”
(Psalm 44:23–26 ESV)
How is this for making a case with God? I’ve been really bad; so please help me. Yet, that is what is happening here. Under the weight of his sin, the psalmist is suffering and cries out for healing. His acknowledgment of sin is not the case for just deserts, but a statement of need. His only case is the righteousness and goodness of a gracious God.
“ As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you!””
(Psalm 41:4 ESV)
Make Someone’s Day
Let me start by saying that if you chose to open this posting and read it, that is a good sign that you are on the right track and your heart is in the right place. You have already moved from the realm of unlikely positive outcome to likely positive outcome. You have identified making someone’s day as an intention in your life and that kind of intentionality is a real key to accomplishment.
Proverbs 18:1 says,
“An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends;
he defies all sound judgment.”
It is in the pursuit that our judgment is magnified.
So I may leave it at that for today. To be friendly and to desire the good for someone else today will move you far down the road of being a blessing. When you wish someone well, it is communicated in your attitude, your words, and your deeds. you cannot help but be an encouragement to all who are receptive and in need.
The very desire to make another person’s day is an indicator of character and a predictor of success in that endeavor.
Today, I will start to spell out how to do that by examining the word, “D-A-Y.” First let us look at a proverb for today, Proverbs 19:1:
“Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse. “
To apply that to our theme, we might paraphrase it this way: “While wealth and prosperity can open doors, create opportunities, and enable us to do much good for others, it would be better to do without it if it meant that our words wounded rather than healed, deflated people rather than inflating them, and discouraged rather than encouraged.”
Words are powerful and how we use words will determine much of our success in making someone else’s day.
And the god news is that if you make the day of enough people, it will eventually lead you on the path to success.
We don’t have to choose between our success and that of others if we are willing to put our primary focus on helping others succeed.
Now, here is the D-A-Y
D = Decision.
You make a decision about the kind of day you will have. You make it early; you make it firm. You decide that whatever comes your way, “The is the day that the Lord hath made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” It is always a decision and if you make it, it will rub off on others. While you make the decision, early in the morning, to have a great day, decide to bring others along as well. Pray for opportunities to encourage, lift, and serve people. They will come!
A = Attitude.
It is aways about attitude. Attitude can make or break your day and will affect others. Positive attitudes are contagious, but so are negative attitudes. If you walk around all day with the attitude that is selfish, angry, resentful, and bitter, that will take the wind out of people’s sails who are living on the edge. Not everyone has learned the power of a positive decision. They need to see a living example of positivity — YOU! If you carry your decision to have a blessed day with you throughout the day and reflect that in your attitude, those same people will see and catch some of your spirit. Smile at frowns; speak gently to harsh voices; deflect criticism; be kind when you are treated without kindness. Be the master of your moments and your emotions. Elevated your attitude and you will elevate others.
Y = Yes, Yes living.
It is a no-no world. All around us, people are looking for reasons to be critical, to disagree, to complain, to gossip, to make other people feel small. You have chosen to live the opposite way. You are looking for areas of agreement. You are searching for the YES. You are endeavoring to find things you can compliment and affirm, people you can encourage, and lives you can touch with God’s love. You are actively giving out smiles. Your goal is to build and what you are building are people.
The only two things that will last forever are the Word of God and the souls of people. One builds the other.
Make a decision to have and promote a great day. Put on the attitude of positive thinking and living, the attitude of love and grace. Put it on the same way you put on a cheerful shirt in the morning. Look for yes every where and build upon each yes you find. Decision — Attitude — Yes = DAY.