Sometimes those human interest stories at the end of newscasts really get to me. It happened tonight. The story told about a teacher who asked one of her students about her birthday party. The little girl told her she had never had a birthday party, or even a slice of her own birthday cake. The teacher said when she heard those words her breath was taken away. It moved her so much that she quit her job and started her own non-profit organization. Now she raises money so that low income, underprivileged, and homeless children can have their very own birthday party, gifts and all.

Now this woman buys the gifts, dresses up in costumes, and brings the cakes to the parties. Professional baseball teams have gotten involved. Volunteers help out. And the smiles on the children’s faces beam like the sun. The story brought a lump to my throat.

You don’t have to start a non-profit or even throw a birthday party to bring joy or uplift. The same can be done even in the most mundane situations. Walter Wangerin, Jr. reminds us of this when he writes:

Every time you meet another human being you have the opportunity. It’s a chance at holiness. For you will do one of two things. Either you will build him up or you will tear him down. There are no useless, minor meetings. There are no dead-end jobs. There are no pointless lives. Swallow your sorrows; forget your grievances and all the hurt your poor life has sustained. Turn your face truly to the human before you and let her, for one pure moment, shine. Think her important, and then she will suspect that she is fashioned of God.

So do something special today. Go with your compassionate idea. Throw a birthday party. Sit face to face with someone. Make the visit you promised you would. You might even come up with an idea that leads to a non-profit organization.

What will you do to make someone smile today?

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It’s the end of the first quarter at the Iowa Hawkeyes’ football game. Suddenly the entire crowd turns in one direction. Smiles cover the faces. The fans look up beyond the wall of the stadium. And they begin to wave.

It’s a tradition that just began this year. A new children’s hospital was built with windows overlooking the field. A fan floated the idea of waving to the kids in those windows. People thought it was a great idea so the word spread. The next thing you know every time there’s a football game a little bit of joy is injected into the lives of kids who are sick enough to be hospitalized. And all it takes is a wave multiplied thousands of times.

Isn’t it amazing what a little gesture can do? I love it when I take my morning bike ride and a motorist is friendly enough to gesture me across the street and follow it with a friendly wave. Our grandson is on the verge of learning how to wave. Don’t you love it when little babies do that? Waves can be emotional, too. I vividly remember waving to both of our kids when we dropped them off at their respective colleges and made our way home. If I’m being honest, more than a few tears accompanied those waves.

Sometimes a wave is not so much physical as it is emotional. Here in Florida we have felt the nation “waving” to us by sending financial support, their linemen and women, and their prayers. It’s almost as though the rest of the nation is turning their collective faces toward us like the fans at an Iowa football game. And we feel the warmth and love. It brings a smile to our faces.

Why not make it your goal to wave to someone today? Even if it may feel a little uncomfortable, give it a try. Especially if you don’t normally do it, wave to a fellow motorist, neighbor, or pedestrian today. You might just make their day. And your day will be better as well.

To whom will you wave today?

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We’ve been living with uncertainty for over a week now. Throughout hurricane season our local meteorologists keep an “eye on the tropics.” Already at the end of August they said we’d better watch Invest 93L because it could form into a major storm. Sure enough. Here we are making preparations for Hurricane Irma to hit the state of Florida. The projections have been going back and forth for days. The uncertainty is maddening.

Leading up to a hurricane uncertainty is all around. When you’re at the store buying the mandatory bread, water, and wine you hear people talking about how they’re going to evacuate if it comes this way. On social media you see reminder after reminder and myth after myth about what’s going to happen (or not going to). The weather channel incessantly shows the path’s track and the “cone of uncertainty.”

This is all really just a metaphor for life. As the old saying goes: “Nothing in life is certain but death and taxes.” Everything else is uncertain. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. It could be good or bad. There might be failures or successes.

So how do we deal with uncertainty about a hurricane…or anything else? What is a pathway out of it? Here are three things I learned in the uncertainty of a potential hurricane:

1. Don’t believe the best or the worst. In any kind of conjecture there will be those looking at it with rose colored glasses and those who always default to the worst case scenario. As far as the hurricane goes we are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. Seems like a good philosophy for any uncertain time.
2. Seek advice from experienced people. We are relatively new Floridians who have only experienced one other hurricane. So we look to those who have had much more experience with this kind of thing. We ask them questions, seek their advice, and listen to them.
3. Place faith in the One who never changes. In an email to our congregation this week I wrote: “Please join me in praying to the God of creation for safety and protection. In His sovereignty, which is high above ours, He has allowed this storm to form and He has His purposes for it. But He is also the one who with only His words calms the wind and the waves. Let’s pray that if it would be His will He would do just that.”

What is your pathway out of uncertainty?

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The more I watch network news the more I think this world needs more encouragement. Recent events have shown that we are at each others throats both literally and figuratively. Everything from Berkeley to Charlottesville have revealed our country at its worst. I guess I should probably stop watching the network news. But then I saw the demonstrations of compassion and humanity after Hurricane Harvey. It was a joy to see people encourage Houston from all over the country.

But it all starts with one person taking the initiative to encourage another. Here are five ideas to help you do just that:

1. Send a handwritten note. A couple of weeks ago in our Bible class at church we decided that we were each going to send a handwritten note to someone. The idea was to provide some encouragement. Though it wasn’t my intention, I received a couple of those notes. They made my day. I truly felt encouraged.
2. Say something. If you’re thinking something nice about someone, say it. It does no good if you keep it to yourself. A few kind words go a long, long way. In fact, it just might completely improve someone’s day.
3. Pay a public compliment. In this day and age it’s so easy to do. Use your social media channels to tout a friend or family member’s gifts or talents. Create a post about their work, business, or artistic ability and draw attention to it.
4. Pick up the phone and make a call. I know, I know. A telephone call is such a throwback, such an inconvenient thing to do in this day and age of texts and emails. But a real phone call for “no reason” is just special enough to provide a proper amount of encouragement on any given day.
5. Pay attention. When someone in your office or home mentions something they like or use, make note of it. When you have the opportunity, purchase it as a gift and give it on a day other than a birthday or holiday.

Do you agree that we could all use a little more encouragement? 

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I wish you could have seen his face. For years now one of the older members of our congregation has sporadically shown up for church. It’s just been too frustrating for him to be there. His lack of good hearing, one of our most crucial senses, makes it extremely difficult for him to participate. He wants to be in church. But when you can’t hear well you may as well stay home. But then something happened.

He brought a simple device to church. I wore it around my neck. It fed directly into his hearing aid. And for the first time in a long, long time he heard every word I said. When he walked out of church he was nearly in tears. He gave me a hug and said: “I heard every word.”

It’s like those videos you see online of a little baby putting on glasses and seeing her parents for the first time. Our senses are a God-given gift. When they’re not working properly we are at a definite disadvantage. We’re not able to experience the world the way God originally meant it to be experienced. It’s so great that we live in a day and age where there is technology to help those who have hearing or sight disadvantages.

And it’s also a reminder to those who have fully functional senses. We dare not take them for granted. In fact, we ought to take every opportunity to heighten them and pay attention to them.

I once heard someone speak about this at a pastors’ conference. He encouraged us pastors to walk into our churches and pay attention to all of our senses:

• What do you see? Is there clutter?
• What do you smell? It should be pleasant (not moldy, musty, or bad).
• What do you taste? When your congregation shares meals is the food good and fresh?
• What do you touch? Do people welcome you with a handshake or a hug?
• What do you hear? Is the music too loud or too soft? Is there appropriate help for those who are hard of hearing?

How can you apply all this to your own home or workplace? Pay attention to your senses. How can you enhance the sensory experience for your family or co-workers. One of the things my wife and I like to do in our home is burn Ranger Station Candles. The scents are amongst the best I’ve ever experienced from a candle.

Don’t take your senses for granted. Pay attention to them today. You may just experience something new.

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Have you ever had one of those weeks? It’s filled with stress, disappointment, and hard work. The moments of rest are few and far between. A family member treats you unfairly. People are relying on you to get things done when your “to do” list is a mile long. You want it to be Friday but it’s only Tuesday. What you need right now is a coping strategy.

I’m in the middle of a week like that. These kinds of weeks don’t happen all that often, but when they do they put me off kilter. I feel burdened for some of the people who have revealed their heartaches and problems to me. My “to do” list is longer than usual because my fall is filled with commitments and speaking engagements. Some of my regular work has been put off, but it needs to be accomplished by Friday. It’s not really all that bad. It’s just that when things like this add up I can’t seem to relax.

Right in the middle of it all I was reminded that we all sometimes need coping strategies to make it through. I’m blessed to be part of a clergy council for our local Christian counseling center. We get together every quarter to learn and to talk. It’s always well worth making the time to be there.

Today we learned about coping strategies. Some strategies distract you, some ground you, and some calm you and relax you. Not all coping strategies are healthy. They might mask your stress, or even make it worse.

But a healthy coping strategy is beneficial and helpful. As we discussed this at our meeting today I realized that one of my coping mechanisms is doing what I’m doing right now: writing. It’s why I try to be consistent by posting right here two to three times a week, and writing other things on most other days.

Here are some other strategies:

• Exercise
• Take a nap
• Talk about it
• Listen to music or a favorite song
• Thirty seconds of deep breathing
• Change what you’re doing for a short time
• Help someone else
• Eat a healthy snack
• Read something enjoyable
• Write or journal

What coping strategies have been helpful for you?

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I hope you’re going to look down today. As you know, a wide swath of our nation is experiencing a total eclipse of the sun. People are buying “eclipse glasses,” traveling across state lines, and even having viewing parties. I’m certain you’ve received more than sufficient warning not to look at the sun. People have gone blind doing so during previous eclipses. So make sure you’re looking down today. But not just to protect your eyes…

A solar eclipse reminds us of the miraculous wonders of the creation that surrounds us. Our God created the universe for our benefit. He gave it to us as a gift to live in, and love, and celebrate, and steward, and manage. Instead of looking up, maybe we should be looking down, and around. I suppose that being able to witness a solar eclipse is like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, watching the aurora borealis, or studying a hummingbird in flight.

But if we look around us there are all kinds of miracles and wonders every day. Flowers bloom, babies take their first breath, and the tide at the beach comes in and goes out like clockwork. Cars hurtle us down the highway at seventy miles per hour, computers with massive memory fit in the palms of our hands, and TV screens are larger and clearer than they’ve ever been. Some even let us see the picture in 3D.

Martin Luther once said:

So as you appreciate today’s nearly once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon, let it serve as a reminder. The miracles of a loving God surround us. Though we may take them for granted, they bring benefit to us. These miracles comfort us, make life more convenient, and deliver health or healing. Sometimes they even amaze us.

Look up today for a moment or two (with the proper eye protection). But then take a look around and notice the miracles that happen everyday.

What regular miracles do you often take for granted?

*Special thanks to Charles P. Arand for the ideas behind this post and for bringing to my attention the above Luther quote.

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When I was babysitting my grandson the other day, I noticed something. Babies’ emotions can change on a dime. At one moment Crosby would whine, almost to the point of crying. But all I had to do was read him a book, play with blocks, or distract him in some other way and he smiled or laughed. When he started to get just a little fussy, I changed his environment and took him outside. Crosby loves to be outside. When he’s out there he’s often as still, as quiet, and observant as a baby can be.

Emotions are a funny thing (get it?). Today I experienced a wide variety of emotions in the adults with whom I interacted. I laughed heartily with a group of people as we shared common experiences. A man called me on the telephone to tell me he got the job he hoped for. He was so full of joy and thankfulness that it brought him to tears. I heard the fear in the voice of a woman who has family members facing medical issues.

Emotions are a blessing from God. They make life interesting. Emotions give us a truly human outlet for the variety that life delivers. We express them already as babies. They help others know how to respond and react to us.

Unfortunately, as adults we tend to muffle them, cover them up, or mask them. We learn to “control” our emotions rather than give ourselves the permission to set them free. When I watch Crosby I realize that since he cannot yet talk he uses his emotion to communicate his needs and desires. And maybe that’s why they change so quickly. When a need is met his emotion changes. But he most certainly isn’t afraid to freely express his emotions.

Sometimes I wish I were more like Crosby. I know it’s not socially acceptable to openly and freely express my emotions. But I wonder how much better I would feel — and how much better people would be able to help one another — if we adults would be more open with our feelings. Even if that means our feelings change on a dime, as they sometimes do.

So I give you permission today to do an experiment. Express your emotions a bit more freely. Be sensitive to the feelings of others. Then react and respond in kind. And I really mean: in kind.

What would our world be like if this would happen more frequently?

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