From the book “God is in the Small Stuff and it all matters” by Bruce & Stan. . .
No, dear friends, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing:
Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. . .
Philippians 3:13 NLT
Will there ever be a time when you will stop learning and improving yourself? Will it happen when you get your high school diploma? Not then, because the education process has only just begun. At college graduation? Hardly, because the lessons of the real world await. When you become a parent with your own children to raise? Certainly not, because every parent has to stay mentally sharp just to keep up . . . Will you be able to stop learning and improving when you reach the “golden years”? That’s doubtful because then you’ll need more wits to figure out all of the discounts to which you are entitled.
So when does the quest to improve yourself end? When you stop breathing. Between now and then you should consider yourself to be an ongoing project. A work in progress. Always improving. Never stagnant.
Self-improvement is a popular topic. In the midst of our technology generation, we are told that our minds are like computers—they are only as good as they are programmed. But the emphasis on continuing personal development is not unique to contemporary society. Several decades ago someone wrote, “You are what you think.” And even before that the Bible said, “For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7).
God did not design you to be stagnant or sluggish in any respect: spiritually, physically, mentally, or socially. To borrow a book title from Chuck Swindoll, God intends that you “live above the level of mediocrity.”
Self-improvement does’t happen automatically. It requires constant, systematic, and disciplined personal development. There are books to be read, people to meet, and new places to discover. Your personal growth is a privilege, not a burden. This is where God loves to get involved in the details of your life. Let Him in and watch Him work in the small stuff of your life to help you grow and improve.
Each day as you begin again your process of personal growth, remember it all begins with your attitude. You must prepare your heart and program your mind for self-improvement. Like the scripture says, “Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think on things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8).
In the Small Stuff
Self Improvement is a life long process.
Learn from the mistakes of others. You’ll never live long enough to make them all yourself.
Don’t take pride in exceeding your expectations if your goals are only mediocre.
Study and evaluate your own behavior.
Learn to tell a good story.
Once in a while set a goal that terrifies you.
Learn to thrive on challenge and change.
When you think you’ve learned enough, you haven’t.
Don’t be afraid to try something you don’t think you can do. You may surprise yourself and you’ll probably enjoy it.
It’s hard to learn from a mistake you don’t acknowledge making.
Never mistake activity for achievement.
Develop a unique style.
Consider how you can make a bigger impact with your time, money, and talents.
Seeing is better than looking.
Listening is better than hearing.
Doing is better than talking.
~ Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz “God is in the Small Stuff and it All Matters (Promised Press,Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683. 1998) p.88-93
