10 Simple Life Hacks

I've read a couple articles, from bloggers who found or invented these cool little tricks to life. They aren't complex, they aren't crazy, they are just things that the average person with his or her crazy schedule hasn't found time to think about. I liked these articles so much that I've decided to write my own. I hope you find these ten life hacks helpful, encouraging and practical for your daily existence. I didn't invent any of them.

1. Be Nice to Your Parents
If kids be nice to parents -> parents be nice back to kids -> kids become even nicer to parents...ect. Usually parents are smarter, more experienced and better at life than the kid. Assume they are right. Parents have about one hundredd million things they need to do on a given day, if you run across something they actually did wrong, don't be a jerk about it. You're in their family, they are not in yours, make the family better and make life for yourself and your parents easier. It's not very hard to think of things that you can do to be nice to parents. If you're having trouble you can start by just doing your chores when your supposed to.
2. Read:
Books are great, they keep your imagination alive and well when childhood has passed away.
3. Converse
Don't waste the people you have in your life. Learn to talk with them properly. Conversation requires three things. First, know what you want to say. Second have a big enough vocabulary so that you can put what you want to say into words. Third, the ability to listen to someone and hear what they actually mean not just the words coming out of their mouth.
4 Learn:
Recognize that in the grand scheme of human existence you really don't know very much at all. Don't rush from one poorly done thing to another. Go slow and learn to do each thing you do well. One perfect thing is superior to a dozen imperfections.
5. Teach: 
That thing you learned to do really well. Pass it on to someone else, you'll get better at it by teaching it and you'll do something good for somebody else.
6. Don't Date in Highschool:
This isn't a moral thing, I'm not talking about what's right or wrong. I'm just saying, realistically most high school relationships,

A. Consume vast amounts of time and money. 

B. Distance both people from their friend groups. 

C. Lower one's GPA by at least 1.0 

D.  Give you all sorts of emotionally founded, incorrect ideas about love, marriage, the opposite sex and romance.

 E. Hurt both people involved. 

If you're thinking about being in such a relationship I would say..."WATCH OUT, IT'S A TRAP!!!! If it's not a trap they'll wait for you."
7. You are You
Don't ever try to be not you. Don't be jealous of someone your not. Don't copy paste yourself as other people. Your stuck with you and the sooner you accept that and make yourself awesome the sooner you'll be awesome. If you just try and imitate someone else, at the very best you'll only be a poorly engineered clone of someone not you.
8. Kindness
Being kind, is usually not that difficult. Most people are not out to hurt you and doing something nice, like bringing cookies or extra gum will not only make you feel good but will help everyone remember you positively.
9 Truth 
A single grain of truth will conquer a mountain of lies. Find some truths and stick with them. The world is a confusing place, truth is a filter which gives order to the world and helps a person know what's important and what's stupid.
10 Seriousness
Realize that somethings in life need to be taken seriously. Life itself, you only get one of them, don't waste it. People, the most precious thing you'll ever handle is a human soul, don't hurt the ones around you. Truth, truth is precious, truth is valuable don't forget the truth you know and don't replace the truth you have with lies.

These are ten things, I've found really helpful in my life. Have a great day. :) 

Diligence

I begin this series of posts with a few words on diligence. I choose to begin with diligence for several reasons. Primarily because lacking diligence the human person becomes almost useless. Without diligence their is no ability to work against the currents of life. Without diligence a person will always be the opposite, that is lazy and the lazy person is quite possibly the farthest from God a person can be. Most people who wake up in hell, will not be guilty of any terribly shocking evil like the abuse of a child or the torturing of a woman. The most common path to hell is the life rolling like a great boulder down the mountain. No ability to stop or change direction simply bounding down whichever way is easiest to fall.

In absence of diligence, laziness has to a large degree become a driving factor for many peoples actions. We have kids studying in school not to learn information but because they know their parents won't let go out if they don't have above a B. We have siblings sharing with their siblings, not out of love for their brothers and sisters but because letting the sibling use their thing is the fastest way to get them out of their room. We have people working jobs, not because they feel proud of their product but because they want to pay for their next vacation to Florida. You may think these people are not lazy because they are studying, sharing and working on things.  But laziness is about ignoring your duty and following your heart. So the mom who is socially active and engaged in all sorts of clubs and programs, yet neglects the spiritual needs of her children is lazy. Why? She's busy, she works hard, she goes to bed each night with a list of "good" things she did. Yet she's a lazy mother because as a mom her duty is to her children and she has neglected that duty. Diligence and laziness can only be understood by the individual who understand the importance of doing one's duty and fulfilling one's obligation is about. The concept that I as an individual "should" do somethings and "should not" do others is necessary if I am to be diligent. Diligence is not merely excessive amounts of action and laziness is not the absence of action. The grasshopper in Aesops story was lazy because he didn't do what he was supposed to do not because he wasn't doing anything.

Jesus calls his followers to a life of diligence. We will not share in His fellowship unless we can also share in His suffering. No lazy person will endure suffering. Only a diligent person who is living His life for something bigger than themselves will be able to endure with patience the suffering that always comes as part of the Christian life.

Questions:
Do I know what my duty is?


"We have never yet met a Christian worker who lacked self-control and was, nevertheless a good worker; and we have never seen a disobedient person prove a useful servant to the Lord."
Watchmen Nee The Normal Christian Worker (pg. 2)

Bible Reading Day

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." (Matthew 28:18)

For the Christian what encouragement and what comfort are these words of Jesus. Let us focus our eyes on Him our protector and put into perspective the struggles and trials of our daily existence. The savior who came from heaven, just days after being brutally crucified for crimes He didn't commit reminds us of this glorious truth. No power is higher than He who sacrificed Himself for us. Death could not hold Him. Hell could not keep Him. And He is the one who calls us into relationship with Him. Why do we enslave ourselves to the cares of this world? Why do we refuse peace and joy to worry about money, clothing and shelter? Does not our heavenly master promise to look after the affairs of His servants? Let us than be servants. Servant of Him who has power above all things. To the Christian who is discouraged, remember the power of your God. Remember that your master can point His finger and send constellations into the sky, burning in their place and following their orbit. Remember that your Master can bring strength to the weak, joy to the broken, beauty to the ugly, and sight to the blind. Remember that your Master called you from your life of sin and self indulgence to a glorious inheritance in an eternal kingdom. Remember that death has been swallowed up in victory. Remember the power of your God and kneel for He has called you son and wants you for His own.
  

Bible Reading Day

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the starts will fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" Matthew 24:29-31 

       It is a powerful habit for the Christian to consider, at the beginning of each day, the return of His Lord. His return his imminent and the church must be ready. Let us not grow lazy in caring for our Masters goods. God has entrusted to each of us a life in accordance with our abilities, (Matthew 25:15) Sometimes, someone else's life may look more appealing, easier, gentler. For some people life just seems to always go right. While for you life just knocks you about regardless of your plans and despite your defenses. Contentment with this life comes down to a matter of perspective and trust. Does your perspective allow you to view this life on this earth only preparation for an eternal life to come? And do you trust the God of both this world and the next enough to believe that the life entrusted to you is the destiny ideally suited for you. Do not seek to eagerly the life of another for God has given to each man a life equal to his talents. How do you know that if you were to abandon your life and gain the life of him whom you envied that the troubles and cares of that new existence would be found more taxing, more unendurable, more tempting than the life you have now. 

     Jesus commands us to "Watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour." (Matthew 25:13) There is urgency. There is punishment for not heeding his voice. For the servant who is found taking advantage of the divine mercies will be put into the "outer darkness where their will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." What are the mercies of God? Even the very lowliest of human beings has life and life is a mercy unmerited and unearned. Let us at the very least give thanks to God for life and pledge Him our service for this gift alone is one humanity is incapable of repaying. 

"Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." I Corinthians 10:12