Guidelines for 2007
Once again, its the time of year to make (or break) resolutions. As I did last year, I shared a similar item from the Guidelines ministry, and so here is another set of guides worth reading and remembering.
Guidelines For Starting
The New Year Right
With Harold Sala
Frustration will always be part of life, yet there are some things you can do to fight back! Don’t spend your time and energies in 2007 on non-essentials. The following can help you be more productive, happier, and fulfilled. Print out the following and consult it frequently:
GUIDELINE 1: Consult with God before you make plans. It is here we often fail. Ignoring Him we formulate our plan, then ask Him to bless it, or call on Him to bail us out when we are in trouble-instead of saying, "Lord, what do you want? Is what I have in mind in sync with your will and purpose for my life?" If it is, then go for it!
GUIDELINE 2: Realize Murphy’s Law is as exacting as the laws of thermodynamics. If something can go wrong, it will, so learn to plan ahead. If Plan A doesn’t work, have a Plan B, which will get you where you want to go a different way.
GUIDELINE 3: Be realistic. Some of our frustrations are the result of attempting the impossible. It is far better to have goals you can achieve than have them so unrealistic that you are always frustrated.
GUIDELINE 4: To avoid frustration, act without reacting. If you can’t climb the mountain, then tunnel through or go around. But don’t quit. Don’t get angry and hold your tongue.
GUIDELINE 5: Fix it, or forget it. If you car is a source of frustration, park it and walk, get a new one or buy a bicycle. But if you can’t fix it, ask God for the grace to love it.
GUIDELINE 6: Simplify, simplify, simplify. When I was struggling with a computer a few years ago, my dad-then in his 80’s-asked, "Wouldn’t it be better to just get a good electric typewriter?" He had a point. Simplifying life as much as you can eliminates a lot of frustration. Yet there is no going back.
GUIDELINE 7: Refuse to let it get to you. You put up a barrier that says, "This far and no further!" Vance Havner was right: Any bulldog can whip a skunk but sometimes it just ain’t worth it!" (Excerpted from my new devotional book Today Counts . To get your copy visit our online Guidelines bookstore.
