Value People

The gist of what I want to say is found in the title.  But wait, there’s more. 

So here’s the thing. 

Every person alive is a person of worth.  Do we honor the worth and dignity of the people with whom we rub elbows?

Do we give them a chance to strut their stuff?

Do we listen with respect?

Do we honor them with eye contact? 

Do we attempt to remember their name and get it right?

These are the character traits of one who values people.

Well-known physician, Dr. Bernie Siegel, author of Love Medicine and Miracles, once asked two terminally ill patients what they wanted most from their medical professionals.  Here are their responses.

~“Let me talk first.”

~“Knock on my door.”

~“Say ’Hello’.”

~“Say ‘Goodbye’.”

~“And look me in the eye when you talk to me.”

Nobody said “Cure me.  Get me a transplant.”

They said “Treat me like a human being.”

When we value the worth of the individual we always win with people. 

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Validate Them

As you go about your day today there is something you need to remember. 

The people you will rub elbows with need some things from you.  They will be the ordinary people that you see most every day. 

What do they want?

-Connection

   -Acknowledgement

      -Validation

   -Some to care

-Someone to listen without interrupting

~Maybe they just awoke and haven’t had their morning coffee yet.

~Maybe they are rushing around to get their kids to school.

~Maybe they themselves are headed to a dreaded doctor’s appointment and fear the worst.

~If they look a little sleepy-eyed, perhaps they just got off work from their second job to help pay their mortgage or utility bill.

~If they don’t have a smile, maybe they need yours. 

You see, perhaps they just need an affirming hand or an affirming word of confidence spoken to their heart. 

They simply need a connection with another human being.  They need their faith restored to replace the rudeness that others less considerate have shoveled their way.

They need validation.

They constantly ask:

     Do I matter?

          Does anyone care?

               Is life worth living?

Today, perhaps today or tomorrow, you could be the hands of God to touch some weary person somewhere. 

Perhaps. 

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Execute

Let’s play “what if”.

What if …

~The wheel had never been invented?

~We still rode in a horse and buggy?

~We still operated without sterilization?

~Cell phones were still the size of a shoe?

Do you have a brilliant idea?  Do you have a gadget or widget that just might revolutionize the world?

Perhaps it is time to bring it out.  You have no guarantee that it will last.  You have no guarantee that people will buy it.  You don’t even know if you can market it properly.

Do it anyway.

  Publish it

    Open your store

      Set up your stall

        Make your tacos

          Write your book

            Sing your original songs.

There are no guarantees, except you’ll never know until you try.  Get your idea out there.  Let us see it, and let us made the decision for you.

And even after your launch, you can still tweak it tomorrow, change the color, change the size, bring out a new edition, upgrade the software and put in a better battery.

We need to see what you do best and with passion.

Words of encouragement for the entrepreneur in all of us ...

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

The Reconciled Heart

I’m going to write about something I've personally experienced yet barely understand.  Crazy, I know, but let’s go down this trail together.

Here is our premise: 

The reconciled heart says that everything 

that has happened to me had to happen 

to make me who I am – without exception.

~Brennan Manning

Just reflect for a moment on all that has happened to you in your lifetime thus far.  Certainly, a lot of it is good and worthwhile stuff.  And then we hit the rough places.

Let’s name names, just to jog our memories.

  Divorce

  Bankruptcy

  Severe illness (your own or of a loved one)

  Death of a parent, child or sibling

  Loss of a job and income

  Fortunes lost in some kind of stock market crash

  Public embarrassment

  Business failure or near-collapse

  Betrayal by an employee or employer

  

… And oh so many more.

No one enjoys these life-changing crises in the moment.  Personally, I’d rather have a root canal than have to go through much of what I've endured. 

Endured!

That is a good word.  We endure the bitter brew of life. 

And look at us today – after the fact.  Look at the molding and shaping that has taken place.  Look at the resilience that we now have.  Look at our more wizened outlook on life.

What have we learned?

Premise:  If we allow God to work through all of life’s circumstances, what other stance can we claim than to say “look what all of this has made of me.”

I’m reminded of Romans 8:28.  I particularly like this Contemporary English Version wording.

“We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him.  They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose.”

As I reflect on this verse I wonder how my story influences my writing.  Did this stuff have to happen to me in order for God to use me on occasion? 

I would not be so pompous as to believe there is glory in any suffering that I've endured.  However, there is some kind of redemption at work. 

In the process of living life and enduring stuff, I have chosen to rise above any hardship, any setback and any trial I've endured.  I think that is a critical concept.  We rise above. 

What would our lives be today without these experiences?  We have no idea.  We can’t even begin to speculate on that one. 

All we can do is trust the God who has held our hand at those critical junctions in life and give Him thanks for bringing us out onto solid ground.  The hymn Blessed Assurance puts it this way.

This is my story

This is my song

So, for all of us – to God be the glory

We experience grace for every moment, and somehow that is enough.

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

A Story of Two Horses

It is story time.

“Just up the road from my home is a field with two horses in it. From a distance, each horse looks normal. However, if you stop and watch for a while, you will notice something quite amazing.

One horse, the older one, is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.

And if you listen, you will soon hear the sound of a bell. It is coming from the smaller horse in the field.

Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell, to let the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.

As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and the blind horse listens for the bell and then slowly walks to where the other horse is, trusting that he will not be led astray.

When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, he will stop occasionally and look back, just to make sure that his blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

The analogy. Like the horse owner, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives at moments of need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the ringing bell, and other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way.

Good friends are like that... You may not always see them, but you know they are always there.

Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours. We need to help each other. Remember too, be kinder than necessary- Everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle

~Author Unknown

Live simply
     Love generously
          Care deeply
               Speak kindly...
P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Courage Again

It is interesting to note that every time I write a blog on courage it becomes one of my most-read blogs.  Today something in my spirit tells me somebody somewhere needs a word of encouragement about keeping their faith and holding onto courage.

Let’s begin.

Maya Angelou starts us off with this great quote.

“Courage -- the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”

Have you ever faced the death of a close friend or family member?  The day after, you grew in courage.  You planted your foot on the ground and you arose from your bed of grief and showed tremendous courage.  It wasn't easy, and yet you conquered the grief. Way to go.

Have you faced a relationship breakup?  Perhaps you thought you simply could not go on.  Perhaps that was the lowest moment in your life.  And now, with time, you are back on your feet, you have moved on, and you are surviving.  Courage flowed through your veins and you conquered that experience.  Look at you now.  You showed great courage.  Good for you.

Have you ever faced a troubling situation, a no-win situation?  Be encouraged by this: 

[Courage] … “It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” 

Atticus Finch

Harper Lee – To Kill a Mockingbird

Sometimes courage is depicted in this way.

And from the scriptures we find this:

I speak these things to you today so that you can know that in me you have found peace.  The world will dish out tribulation, but take courage; I am the overcomer.

~John 16:33

Paraphrase - PMB

And this …

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you God.  God, I trust you.  I shall not fear.  What can a mere man do to me?”

~Psalm 56:3-4

Paraphrase - PMB

Got courage? 

I do.  I feel strengthened by just reflecting on these powerful thoughts.

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Little Ideas Grow Up

This thought today is purely inspirational and motivational so buckle up.

J K Rowling intrigues me.  Carolyn and I are reading the Harry Potter series as we drive around town and take short road trips.  I marvel at J K’s imagination. 

She gave a Harvard Graduation speech a few years ago and this is part of what she said.

“I had a daughter, whom I adored,

a typewriter and a big idea.”

… And then she asked …

Do you have a big idea?”

And today we see what her big idea became.  She is a publishing giant.  And she is still producing.  Gotta love her.

That’s your takeaway. 

When I started blogging four years ago I feared that the day would come when I would run out of ideas.  Now, five blog sites and nearly 800 blogs later those fears have subsided.  My little writing idea has grown big.  My first book is about to be published and I just started work on my second book – an eBook. 

What is your BIG idea? 

Where might it lead you? 

Here is a string of once-small ideas that became huge.

-Electric light bulb

-Telephone

-Cell phone

-Television

-Radio

-Airplane

-Jet travel

-Space travel

-Space station

-Computer

-Cure for polio

-Cure for small pox

-The four-minute mile

-Civil liberties

-Free speech

-The Declaration of Independence

… And the song goes on.

Little becomes big

   Small grows up

     Weak becomes strong

Poor become rich

   Illiterate becomes educated

      The prisoner is set free

Ideas become things

    The underdog triumphs

Got the picture?

Sure you do.  Now, go and dream your dreams.  Give them feet and wings. 

Again, we come back to a J K Rowling quote.

“We do not need magic

to transform our world.

We carry all the power we need

inside ourselves already.

We have the power

to imagine better.”

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Say Your Lines

I've produced a few Christmas and Easter pageants in my time.  I've coached actors, blocked them, and directed them on where to stand, how to stand and how to say their lines.

And now I’m the one delivering the lines, and so are you.  I say my lines with writing and speaking.  You do too.  Have you ever thought about that?

Oh, you might think I mean in church on Sunday.  I teach a Sunday school class now and every week I have lines to say.  You probably sing on the songs, or read some scripture in some kind of liturgy in your worship experience. 

I think my most important lines are said out there, away from the four walls of the church and steeple.  Sometimes I’m a bit-part player with a walk-on role and nothing to say; just actions that speak louder than words. 

I don’t know how it is where you live, but I find people every day in need of a word of hope.  They need a line or two said on time and with the right inflection to help them make it to their next spot in the drama of life.

Maybe they are headed to a job interview, or perhaps a medical appointment.  Some have kids that give them hassles; others hassle their boss. 

So each week, I try to write and say my lines.  I try to be well prepared and do a good, even great job in the play of life.

Do you say your lines well?  You have a part to play also.  You rub elbows with people just like you, and they need a touch of divinity in their dark and dreary world, just like you and me. 

We can share words of hope.  We break the bread of encouragement when we dispense what is good and acceptable to mankind.  We do it with grace and style, and compassion.  We give life through our words. 

Life Through Words – what a concept. 

So, let the play open on time.  Let the curtain rise.  Let the music swell.  I just want to be on my mark, right on time.  I want to speak loudly enough to be heard, yet tenderly enough to touch a heart. 

And if I have a bit part as a walk-on actor, then let me do it with style and grace.  Let me model what the author of the play intended. 

And if the critics don’t like it, that’s okay.  All I care about is hearing “Well done, good and faithful one” from the one who wrote the play.

  

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time