Posts Tagged: simple questions

“Will this Help Me or Harm Me?”

On June 19, 2020 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

I listened to a TED Talk on resilience the other day. It was a lady who had done extensive research and teaching on resilience. Then, there came a horrible time in her life when she had to practice what she had been researching and teaching. Her twelve-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident.

You can listen to the entire TED Talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/lucy_hone_the_three_secrets_of_resilient_people, and it will do you a great deal of good. However, my main takeaway was the last of her three strategies for resilience: Ask yourself the question, “Will this thing I’m doing or am about to do help me or harm me?”

Simple question? Yes! But it strikes me as being very helpful. Before I have my second piece of apple pie (the first one was just a sliver, you understand), I need to ask the question. Before I google “corona virus news” for the third or thirtieth time today, I need to ask The Question. Before I make a cutting, sarcastic comment to my wife, I need to ask THE QUESTION. Before I decide to buy a motorcycle, I need to ask THE QUESTION.

The Bible talks a great deal about the “good and the evil.” Some scholars think that the Hebrew word, ṭôḇ, (that is often translated “good” in English) frequently suggests “that which is helpful or that works.” By the same token, the Hebrew word raʿ often means “that which is harmful or doesn’t work.”

So, I am going to go through this day, asking myself this profoundly simple question: Is this helping me or harming me?

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