It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
LEADERSHIP QUOTES
We're exploring some great quotes that will help us in our lives and leadership. If you'd like to share your favorite with me, please post on the comments section of the Blog. You can read these past posts HERE.
The format for this season is the following:
#1) LEADERSHIP QUOTE: I'm going to share a quote with you. I'd like to encourage you to think about it, respond to it, process it. You can stop here, or go to Section 2.
#2) A LITTLE BIT DEEPER: I'm going to share a couple of thoughts that come to my mind when I think about the quote. Just a short reaction from me. You can stop here, or go to Section 3.
#3) DEEPER STILL: I'm going to share something I've found from someone else: A quote, some tips, a challenge, a thought....
#4) RUSS' LIST: I'll continue to share some links, ideas, books or products that I think some of you might benefit from.
Russ
LEADERSHIP QUOTE:
"Lo que no me mata, me alimenta." Frida Kahlo
What does this stir up? Either write me HERE or comment at the end of the blog post HERE.
A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:
Today I wanted to share this Spanish quote, from Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. It's a play on the quote from Nietzche, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Kahlo's Spanish version says, "What doesn't kill me, nourishes me".
Frida Kahlo knew about suffering, so her words here are simply a reminder to us to take our suffering and turn it into something good.
I don't know if you're suffering today, but I have no doubt that each of you reading this have been through some hard times. You know as well as I do that it's often in these times of suffering that we grow the most... it's in these hard places that we learn of our own strength, but it's also where we learn of the power of God in our lives.
Take a moment today to reflect on some hard things you've gone through, and just think about how you have been changed by these things, how you have been "nourished" or "strengthened".
DEEPER STILL:
While there are many stories of suffering in the Bible, one that always stands out to me is the story of Joseph found in Genesis. His story is a crazy one of betrayal, desperation, patience and eventually purpose.
Joseph describes the entire ordeal in Genesis chapter 50, vs. 20 when he tells his brothers, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." God used this difficult story as a part of His plan for the Hebrews.
I find this true in my life as well. While I don't have a story that includes being thrown into a hole or a prison, I have found that in the difficult places in my life, I've seen God work, over and over again. He's taken something that was filled with pain, and used it "for something good".
I also don't want to ignore the first part of Kahlo's quote: "Lo que no me mata", "what doesn't kill me". Some of us have gone through tough things ourselves that we haven't recovered from, or we know people that didn't make it.
Life is difficult, but it's in these difficult moments that we have the opportunity to grow.
Here's my prayer today: "Lord, I thank you for the growth that has come through some tough moments in my life. Help me to continue to learn and to look for You in everything. Also, help me to see others when they're struggling. I want to encourage them, see them, and help them to not feel so alone."
Things I'm Reading, Listening To and Watching This Week:
In the spirit of "SPANISH", check out this incredible series on Netflix called The Taco Chronicles. It's a 2-season look at the origins of every kind of taco you can imagine. Really good series and you'll learn a lot. It also will help you practice your Spanish as it has English subtitles.
I listened this week to one of my all-time favorite albums: Eric Clapton Unplugged.
The Space Podcast from Harbor Ministries has a great episode this week: Episode 58: Faith Under Pressure. Thanks Tim for this thought.
I just started reading John Grisham's latest book, The Judges List. I'm 2 chapters in and enjoying it!
I'm not sure of the benefits, but I've been diffusing Young Living Orange Oil in my office for the past number of years. Sometimes I miss it with peppermint, but I just like the scent. I looked it up and the Young Living site says that Orange brings "peace and happiness to the mind." There you go! Give it a try.