Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 76 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.
I Shall Not Pass This Way Again (Part 1)
Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 76 of our Trek, and yesterday we discovered the true meaning of encouragement. Today we will look at how that ties into the fact that we will not pass this way again, so we have to make life count today.
We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As I reflect on life regardless of our individual situations, I realize we have so much to be thankful for. At best we only have 100 or so years to impact our world.
The impact that we have on others and the generations to follow is what will live into eternity. We need to make each day count. I struggle with this as much as anyone – maybe more than most. There are always deadlines to meet, bills to pay, and people to deal with, but let us not confuse the urgent with the important. They are rarely the same.
Although I don’t get outdoors nearly as much as I would like, the analogy of life being a trek is so important and fitting. We slowly go through life one day at a time. This morning was a reminder of how life is so much like hiking or trekking through difficult mountainous terrain. During my regular exercise routine each morning, I usually spend an hour running on our treadmill. Since both Paula and I use the treadmill nearly every day, a couple of years ago we invested in a treadmill that is connected to the internet and has walking, running, and hiking trails from all over the world through the use of Google Maps. The technology is really neat.
Although I usually choose running courses, this morning I chose two hiking trails. The first one was the Sierra Trail in California, which is about 2 miles long, and the second one was the Deer Mountain Trail in Colorado which is about 2.5 miles long. They were both uphill most of the way. While I usually jog or run, this morning it was only a fast walk at 4 miles per hour. The difficulties of these trails were certainly a stark reminder that some days life is an uphill climb and can be very painful for the moment, but if we keep at it, we will reach our destination…eventually. Sometimes it takes being infused with a little more courage to make it through.
As we think about infusing courage into our lives and the lives of others as I mentioned yesterday, it is similar to what happens when a person receives a blood transfusion. The person receives a life-altering experience that will help them to be fully alive. What we say to others and how we treat others each day is either infusing them with life, or death. This also applies to what we speak into ourselves and how we treat ourselves.
Are you living daily or dying daily? Each day is a new day. We will never again have a chance at today with its unique situations or circumstances. Although some seasons of life feel like we are on the proverbial treadmill or are reliving the same day over and over like in the movie Groundhog Day that is not the case. We only have one chance to get today correct. As was written by William Penn, “I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
Our words alone can have a significant impact on the lives of others either for good or for evil. The old rhyme “Sticks and stoned may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is just not true. As we looked at yesterday, words have the power of life and death.
All of us have a problem when it comes to controlling our tongues. We suffer from “diarrhea of the mouth” and “foot in mouth” diseases. James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote in his letter Chapter 3 verse 2, “Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.” Suffice it to say, controlling how we speak to others is a problem for all of us. We will look at this entire passage in James 3 on another day, as it gives a clear description about controlling our tongue.
When I was in my early teen years, my nose outgrew my small and slight frame significantly as I was going through puberty. My family called me, “The Nose” or “Noses,” which was a play on the Bible character Moses. Thankfully, I eventually grew into it nose, for the most part, but for my size, it is still a bit on the large size. Fortunately, I realize as an adult, that physical features are not what makes a person significant. Even now though, I’m a little self-conscious about it.
I know that this example is trivial compared to what most have to deal with when trying to navigate the harsh words of others. The point is to understand and show you how powerful and lasting our words can be. A careless word can shape — or misshape — someone’s reality for years to come.
We need to take to heart and put into practice the advice that Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Ephesus Chapter 4 verse 29, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”
This verse provides three keys to appropriate speaking:
- Never use foul or abusive language.Language is so rich and full that we should never need to use words that are foul or abusive when communicating with others. Foul or abusive language is negative not positive, and we should always avoid it.
Everything that we say should be good and helpful. Every word that we speak to others should be good and also helpful to that person. Even if it is words of correction or discipline, the objective is to help the person that is being spoken to.
All words should infuse courage into others (encourage).Every word should be to encourage the person being spoken to. Even if we have to help others dealing with negative habits or uncomfortable confrontations, it should be handled in such a manner that our words infuse the other person with courage to make the changes needed.
King Solomon said in Proverbs 18:21, “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”
Every day, we are shaping reality for someone by the words that we use with them. The choice is ours. How will our words impact others?
I would love your feedback and comments on this question, “How have the words of another—positive or negative — impacted your life?” Share your comments below.
Well, that will finish our podcast for today. If you missed any of our previous podcasts, please check out Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spreaker, YouTube, or Wisdom-Trek.com. Tomorrow we will continue looking at ways to positively impact others as we say, “Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
So, please join us at our “camp” tomorrow for another day on our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.
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Thank you!
The journal from this podcast can be found at Wisdom-Trek.com, where we also have pictures, tweetable quotes, wisdom nuggets, and free resources.
Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.
As we take this Trek together, let us always:
- Live Abundantly (Fully)
- Love Unconditionally
- Listen Intentionally
- Learn Continuously
- Lend Generously
- Lead with Integrity
- Leave a Living Legacy Each Day
This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy the Journey, and Create a Great Day! See you tomorrow!