Making a List, Checking it Twice...

I have found that there are two types of people in this world - those that love and use lists, and those that don't. I certainly belong to the former group. I always have lists around - to-do lists for myself, to-do lists for Steve, lists for upcoming projects, lists of people to write to, lists of books to read, etc. I am always appreciative, too, of people who share their lists, and Elisabeth Elliott does just that in Keep A Quiet Heart. She actually has a couple of precious lists in this book, and it was hard to decide which one to share. My decision is to do one now, and in a few weeks, present another. (I must remember to put this on my "future topics for blog" list. I really do have one!)

So here is Part 1 of Elisabeth's "Several Ways to Make Yourself Miserable" list:

1. Count your troubles, name them one by one - at the breakfast table, if anybody will listen, or as soon as possible thereafter.

2. Worry every day about something. Don't let yourself get out of practice. It won't add a cubit to your stature, but it might burn a few calories.

3. Pity yourself. If you do enough of this, nobody else will have to do it for you.

4. Devise clever but decent ways to serve God and mammon. After all, a man's gotta live.

5. Make it your business to find out what the Joneses are buying this year and where they're going. Try to do them at least one better even if you have to take out another loan to do it.

Whew - can she write a good (bad) list? I can't even begin to improve upon these by any comments of my own. I just urge you to consider these, and if you can, take them off your own to-do list. :-)