“But anyone who is alive in the world of the living has some hope; a live dog is better off than a dead lion” (Ecclesiastes 9:4, GNT)

              In 1972, Walter Mishel conducted an experiment with a large group of four and five-year-old children. Each child was given a binary choice to either eat a marsh mellow or wait fifteen minutes and receive a second marsh mellow. Follow-up studies on delayed gratification observed that the minority of children who held out for a second marsh mellow went on to enjoy better outcomes in life, to include better social skills, higher test scores, and healthier bodies.

“Remember the Sabbath day and treat it as holy.  Six days you may work and do all your tasks, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. Do not do any work on it…”  (Exodus 20:8-10, CEB).

Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today. These are the words of Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was not a procrastinator by any means. He worked in four hour bursts and maintained a disciplined schedule.

“When [Jesus] was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult… (1 Peter 2:23, NIV).

              I overheard a conversation a few days ago between a mom and her pre-K son. Mom was reprimanding the boy for taking an unauthorized package of chocolate chip cookies from the grocery shelf. The young man defiantly looked at her and spouted, “Well, what about daddy? He buys cookies and you don’t get mad at him.” Dad was standing only feet away as his wife glared in his direction. I imagine it was a long drive home for all of them.

“If anyone thinks he is too great to stoop to this, he is fooling himself. He is really a nobody” (Galatians 6:3, TLB).

“I would never do such a thing.” Those are the words I was thinking when the car merging into traffic cut me off. I felt rather smug in my appraisal of the situation.

^“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice…Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done”  (Philippians 4:4&6, NLT).

In every life we have some trouble.
But when you worry you make it double.
Don’t worry, be happy!

     These are the words of Bobby McFerrin’s 1988 classic that reached number one on the Billboard Top 100 chart. McFerrin’s song became popular world-wide, particularly in Finland. This news should come as no surprise. The Finnish people are widely recognized as being the happiest people on earth.

“Every time I think of you; I give thanks to my God. ⁴ Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy” (Philippians 1:3-4, NLT).

              Barbara Johnson is one of my favorite Christian authors. Barb tells of the time she had overslept and was late for work. Then, several things happened at the office to contribute to her agitation. By the time she reached the bus stop for the trip home her stomach was tied into knots.