Thinking Out Loud, Volume CDL

It's not the first question you ask during a job interview, but I'll bet it's one of the first ones you think about: "How much does this job pay?" If they don't pay as much as we want, chances are, we're not too interested. However, there's another question we should be asking, especially if it's a higher paying job: "Why are you willing to pay that kind of money?" Think about it. Let's say their starting salary is $80,000. Successful companies don't just casually add $80,000 per year to their expenses unless we can either earn or save the company significantly more than that amount. If it's an easy job that just about anyone can handle, we can rest assured the starting salary will be as low as they can get away with. Let's face facts....the higher the pay, the more the company will expect of us, the more headaches we'll have to deal with, the more skill will be required to handle the job, and, really, the harder the work. That's not just a philosophy I made up, it's a life principle that has been true down through the ages. In fact, it's even scriptural..."To whom much is given, much is required." (Luke 12:48) The way I interpret that is if I spend my life as a lazy individual who is always looking for the easy road, my reward will reflect it; but if I work hard and continuously look for ways to benefit society, my reward will bear that out as well. Usually, in the workplace, the work must be performed BEFORE any compensation is received, but often in life, we're paid in advance. Let me explain. I often think about how fortunate and blessed I am and have been all my life. I look at the home I was born into, with parents who instilled into me a love for my Creator, and also a thirst for more knowledge about Him. When I think about my wife and kids, my education, my job, my friends, my church, my health, and my overall outlook on life, I have to ask, "Why was God willing to make that kind of investment in me?" Not only did He invest that much into me, but He paid me in advance!! God must really trust me since He has poured so much into my life. I've been given so much, and "...to whom much is given, much is required." I am in no way implying that I have to earn my salvation through hard work. That price has already been paid, and it wasn't by me, but I feel that as greatly as I have been blessed, it is my duty to see just how much I can bless others. If I just sit back on my haunches and attempt to live life on "Easy Street," I feel that I am shirking my duty, and not living up to the trust God has placed in me. When I look at my life, it's obvious I've been given so much, and now, I have it from a very reliable source, there's a whole lot required of me. It's time to get busy! Preston

Thinking Out Loud, Volume CDXLIX

Okay, let's sit back, take a deep breath, and put this whole situation into perspective. Population of the United States: 318,924,000 Yearly US heart related deaths: 600,000 Yearly US deaths in auto accidents: 30,000 Ebola related deaths in the US: 1 In no way am I making light of the danger of Ebola, but I don't understand why there is so much panic in our country over this disease. Well, maybe I DO understand.....we're allowing all the hype from the news media to affect our thinking. When anyone drives as many miles per year as I do, we will occasionally see horrific auto accidents, and though it disturbs me for a while, I must admit that by the time I get home that night, I have basically forgotten about it. The lives of family and friends of the victims are forever altered, but for the rest of us, we don't give it much thought after a day or two. Yet we panic over Ebola, even though the number of automobile accident deaths are more than 30,000 times the number of Ebola related deaths. Each one of us can name someone with whom we're well acquainted who has succumbed to heart disease, yet we go on living as before, continuing our high heart risk lifestyles. We've all seen tragic car wrecks, yet we make no changes to our risky driving habits, possibly even texting about it while driving. Then we hear about only four people in our country who either have, or have had, Ebola, out of a population of almost 319 million, and we panic. A few years ago our big concern was HIV, but we don't think too much about that any more, even though it's still as dangerous as before. Why is that? It has to do with where the news media chooses to put their focus. Are we that gullible? Maybe we are. If a major bridge would collapse next week, we would soon forget about Ebola and start worrying about crossing bridges. I guess it tells us something about human nature, but it's a part of our nature I'd like to see change. Oh well, I suppose we always need SOMETHING to worry about. Preston Sent from my iPad

Thinking Out Loud, Volume CDXLVIII

Two words. Both extremely powerful. They sound so much alike, yet their meanings are exact opposites. They describe character traits. One is prevalent, and the other is rare. One of them is the root of the majority of the world's problems, while the other, if practiced, would solve all those problems. Two words: Selfishness and Selflessness. Selfishness: Putting my needs and desires ahead of the needs and desires of others Selflessness: Putting the needs and desires of others ahead of my own Name a sin and see if you can determine where it came from. Chances are, selfishness is the source. I'll name a few of them, and I have no doubt, if you give it just a little thought, you can name just as many more. Greed. Jealousy. Theft. Bad attitude. Conceit. Envy. Strife. Lies. Coveting. Cheating. Gluttony. Murder. Disobedience. Road rage. Anger. Even adultery. All those and many more can be traced back to one word: Selfishness. Why do people try to break up in line? Why do we have aggressive drivers? Why do we constantly try to get something for nothing? Why do we get mad when things don't go our way? It all goes back to an "it's all about me" attitude, which is the main trait of a selfish person. Where is the honor in selfishness? Have you ever heard a politician campaign on his selfishness? How many parents have you ever heard telling their kids they need to become more selfish? Have you ever heard a eulogy where the minister praised the deceased for his selfishness? I HAVE heard people praised for their "selflessness." As a matter of fact, I don't recall ever hearing anyone commenting on someone else's selflessness in a derogatory manner. Selflessness is a trait we always admire in someone else, yet too often we don't want to practice it in our own lives. Between the selfish man and the selfless man, which one: *Is easiest to get along with? *Has the most friends? *Sleeps better at night? *Has the purest motives? *Feels better about himself? *Is overall a happier person? *Has the brightest future? The answers are obvious, so why do we have such a hard time becoming selfless individuals? Maybe our culture teaches us to be selfish. Maybe we don't trust the facts I just mentioned to work in our lives. Whatever the reason, selfishness will destroy our society, but selflessness will heal it. The selfless man has an "it's not about me" attitude, but when I practice selflessness, who benefits most? Me. That's reason enough to become a selfless man, isn't it? Or would that be selfish? Preston