By Detri L McGhee, CLU, ChFC, B.Min
This summer has been excessively hot in many places this year – my hometown being one of them. But the past week, we have been blessed with a hint of cooler times to come. Rain. Cool breezes. Even a night or two with open windows.
Recently, my husband hit (another!) birthday milestone. As I reflect upon the over 2 billion 524 million seconds of life we have traveled, I am overcome with gratitude for the life God has given us. And, yet, saddened at the millions of seconds wasted that could have mattered more for eternity.
As they age, people tend to grow either bitter or better. Grumpy Old Men isn’t just a movie, nor reserved for males. The older we get, the less we tend to care what people think, and the more we may lose our “polite-filter,” if we ever had one. We care less about offending others, and some natural people-pleasers finally figured out that it doesn’t always help the situation, nor gain us the relationships we were trying so hard to solidify.
Some of you know my current focus is on Criticism Management from a Judeo-Christian perspective. Mastering the tools of CM enables us to mature, expand, and refine Emotional Intelligence at meteoric speeds. Gratitude is perhaps one of the top 5 elements for expanding Emotional Intelligence.
I have had a few transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), aka “temporary strokes.” When these occur… especially the first one… you don’t know what’s going on, and you certainly don’t know it will pass. The next time, perhaps it won’t. It was a great wake-up call. For me, there was a sense of “I hope this isn’t what my family is left with.” However, there was absolutely no fear. None. A sense of possible loss, frustration, or regret for things left unsaid or undone. But no fear. Inside I knew everything that was going on, but my body would not obey me. Limbs were numb. Speech was not only garbled, I knew it was, but I couldn’t make the right words come out. If around a stroke victim, assume they know everything said and done.
I know only one reason to not fear death: The certainty that the other side of this life is a better one. Guaranteed. I KNOW my Redeemer Lives. And I KNOW that He alone has saved me from the power and punishment of all my sin against our Holy, Righteous God. Now, I’m not a Bible scholar. But I have lived over seven decades, and not once… NOT ONCE has My God failed me. I wondered where He was sometimes. More than once I thought He was leading me somewhere and I ended up on the “other side of the earth.” Often His “Yes, I will do that!” took years and years to become reality. Some of His promises to me have yet to be fulfilled, but because He has proven Himself totally trustworthy for decades, I know that He will do what He said He will do.
With a Provider, Protector, Leader, Guide, Promise-Keeper, SAVIOR like that, fear dies. Emotional Intelligence, AKA Emotional Maturity grows with time and effort. Gratitude is the food that nourishes and sustains the garden of life. When ingratitude is discarded and gratitude replaces it, a productive, delicious, fruitful, life-giving, beautiful result is produced. Practicing gratitude is a powerful way to destroy depression, anger, jealousy, laziness, hate, greed, lust, and more.
Regardless of the state of your spirit, EI and CM can make this life better. But since we don’t know how many thousands/millions/billions of seconds we will be given, just living for this life seems very short-sighted. It is wise to secure your future while there is yet time.
Gratitude allows summer to turn to fall and then winter with no fear for what the future will bring. Gratitude opens eyes to see the immeasurable love of God as shown through Jesus Christ. Gratitude enables a body damaged with diseases of aging to still sing powerful praise for the promises yet to be fulfilled, given by an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, One-True God.
The challenge: For 1 week, replace each complaint, criticism, negative thought, word or deed with one of gratitude. OK… Start with 1 DAY! Most of us won’t make it the whole day at first, but practice makes… Well, better. Peace and grace to you! Detri would love to hear from you. Email: detrimcghee@gmail.com Facebook: Detri Atkinson McGhee Free outline for Criticism Management available at www.criticismmanagement.com
By: Detri McGhee – CLU, ChFC
