Tuesday, August 19, 2008

CHANGE FOR GOOD

CHANGE

"Now is the time for tumning. The leaves are beginning to turn from green to red to orange. The birdsare beginningtoturn and are heading once more toward the south. The animals are beginning to turn to storing theirfood for the winter. For leaves, birds and animals, tumning comes instinctively. But for us, turmlngdoes not come so easily. It takes an act of will for us to make a turn. It means breaking old habits. It means admitting that we have been wrong, and this is never easy. it means losing face. It means starting all over again. And this is always painful. It means saying I am sorry. it means recognizing that we have the abilityto change. These things are temblyhard to do. But unless we tumn, we will be trapped forever in yesterday's ways. Lord help us to tumn, from callousness to sensitivity, from hostility to love, from pettiness to purpose, from envy to contentment, from carelessness to discipline, from fear to faith. Turn us around, 0 Lord, and bring us back toward you. Revive our lives as at the beginning, and turn us toward each other, Lord, for in isolation there is no life."

What Is Maturity

What Is Maturity

What is maturity ? Maturity is the ability to control anger and settle

differences without violence or destruction. Maturity is patience. It is the

willingness to pass up immediate pleasure in favor of the long-term gain.

Maturity is perseverance, the ability to sweat out a project or a situation

in spite of heavy opposition and discouraging set-backs. Maturity is the

capacity to face unpleasantness and frustration, discomfort and defeat,

without complaint or collapse. Maturity is humility. It is being big enough

to say, "I was wrong." And, when right, the mature person need not

experience the satisfaction of saying, "I told you so."

Maturity is the ability to make a decision and stand by it. The immature

spend their lives exploring endless possibilities; then they do nothing.

Maturity means dependability, keeping one's word, coming through in a

crisis. The immature are masters of the alibi. They are the confused and the

disorganized. Their lives are a maze of broken promises, former friends,

unfinished business, and good intentions that somehow never materialize.

Maturity is the art of living in peace with that which we cannot change, the

courage to change that which should be changed -- and the wisdom to know the

difference.

Screen clipping taken: 12/06/2008, 3:59 PM

   

Screen clipping taken: 12/06/2008, 3:59 PM