Daniel Skognes

 

He was a feeble man who held the hand

Of his bride of 60 years

A stranger noticed her stop one day

As if looking through her tears

When he questioned the husband

Why she looked away

The old man explained

What was hard to say:

“Her memory was robbed from her long ago.

She doesn’t know who I am.”

The stranger asked him why he stayed.

He marveled at the man.

“She may not remember who I am,

But that is still OK

Because I still remember her,

I’m there for her every day.

God gave her to me years ago

When we were young and free.

So now I give her all I have,

A love that helps her see.

Love is patient.

Love is kind.

It does not envy.

To pride it’s blind.

It doesn’t boast.

It isn’t rude.

Puts others first,

Doesn’t come unglued.

It readily forgives,

And evil it shuns.

It embraces the truth,

To the light it runs.

1 Corinthians 13

Shalom!

Daniel Skognes

(c) Daniel Skognes and its affiliates and assigns and licensors. All rights reserved.

 

It is pretty easy to find something to complain about these days, and some folks seem to be masters at the art of complaining. I try to distance myself from the negative folks, but they seem to chase me down at times to spread their misery and invite me into their pity party. LOL.

This past weekend I had the privilege to attend a men’s conference in Arlington, TX called Promise Keepers. The highlight of the weekend was getting to hear Nick Vujicic. Nick is a pretty unusual guy. He was born without arms and legs, and yet he has the most positive attitude of anyone I have ever heard that has a physical handicap. The truth is, Nick would tell you he is not handicapped. He has no limits.

Having been born that way, I can only imagine what life must be like for him to have grown up and having to have someone help him do pretty much everything. He had a quote that really hit me between the eyes: “God will not allow you to go through the pain in vain.”

Nick prays every day that God gives him arms and legs, but he adds, “Even if you don’t, God, use me today with what You’ve given me,” and boy has God used him! He has traveled all over the world and had the opportunity to speak to millions of people. His message is simple: God has a purpose for each of us, and He will give you what you need to walk out your purpose if you let Him. He truly has the most remarkable attitude of anyone I have every heard. After hearing Nick, I told the guy I rode with to the conference, “I don’t have any problems!”

Life is pretty amazing when you think about it. We all have problems. We all have issues to deal with. We all have pain to overcome. What makes the difference is how we look at the problems we face. Every problem presents new opportunities, and we have to decide if we are going to give up and quit, or are we willing to commit? Nick would be the first to tell you, “Don’t quit. Trust God.”

God has a plan despite what you see, what you feel, what you know, or what you hear. That is where faith comes in. The good news is even when we don’t have enough faith to sustain us, God will give us that too! I came away from the conference with a new sense of gratitude for all that God has done for me in the past, is doing for me now, and will be doing for me in the future. Now abides faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love. That about sums it up.

P.S. Did I mention that he married a beautiful Godly woman and they have 4 children?

Shalom!

Daniel Skognes

danskognes.com

You don’t have to be a genius to figure out that life isn’t fair. Bad things happen to good people, evil people seem to thrive when you are in need, and the team that you KNEW was going to win loses! What is up with that?

I am reminded of the story of Job in the Bible. He apparently was a pretty good dude and did nothing to bring on all of the problems that hit him. He lost his wealth, health, and even his wife told him that he should just curse God and die! Kind of makes you glad you are not Job, right?

The lesson from Job is that no matter what life throws at you, God is still there with you to see you through it. In all of the trials and tribulations that Job faced, he never lost his faith. God ended up restoring to him double of everything that was taken from him.

We may never understand why life if unfair, but we can trust that God is there. He will never leave us nor forsake us. His promises are “Yes and Amen.” If you are struggling with making sense of the bad hand you have been dealt, look up and let God direct your next steps. When you are pressed upon, press in to Him.

Shalom!

Daniel Skognes

Once upon a time there was a Rut. He was not happy. His life was boring, monotonous, and meaningless. Every day was a repeat of the day before. Nothing ever changed. He wondered if everyone lived like this, or was it just him?

As luck would have it, this particular day would change his life. As the Rut was going though his daily grind and lamenting his cursed luck, he came across a Groove. This guy was happy, thankful, and full of life. He seemed to have his act together, and frankly, that made the Rut mad! He did not like seeing others happy, and felt like everyone should experience his pain and agony.

He asked the Groove why he was so happy, and you know what he said? He said, “Life is what you make it. You choose whether to be a Rut or a Groove. You get to choose whether you see the glass half empty or the glass half full. You choose whether to embrace changes and obstacles as opportunities or whether to look at them as your enemy. You choose whether to live in fear or faith.”

The Rut was not expecting that answer. He figured the Groove had been given all of his good fortune, but it turned out that the Groove had worked hard for everything he had. This day was the one that changed the Rut’s life forever. He decided that he had control over one thing and that was his attitude. He had the ability to change how he looked at life, and he did! He started by being grateful for all the things God had done for him. He quit complaining and started praising God. He started to focus on the beauty of life and got the focus off of himself. Miraculously, the transformation began as he put aside his fears and chose to live a life of gratitude.

The lesson was simple: If you want things to change, YOU have to change. That is the secret of living a Groovy life. Here’s to getting you Groove on!

Shalom!

Daniel Skognes