Phil’s Rules for Life

Smile of the Day

“Money won’t buy you happiness, but it will help you go looking for it in a convertible.” – Phil Callaway

The tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It is home to the world’s fastest elevator that will whisk you upwards at a dizzying speed of 65 kilometres per hour. Of course, you may want to stop at floor 76 for a dip in the world’s highest swimming pool or stay in the royal suite for $24,000 a night. The building boasts 160 floors and stands 2,700 feet tall. The secret to its stability? A massive foundation consisting of 110,000 tonnes of concrete and 192 steel piles plunging 164 feet into the earth.

A firm foundation is essential for buildings. And for people too. “Get wisdom,” my mother told me the day she caught me throwing a Bowie knife in the air and watching it land. Mom was wise. She taught me God’s rules. Love God with everything you have. Love your neighbour as yourself. Do unto others before they get to you…oh, wait. That’s not it. It’s do unto others as you’d have them do unto you.

She had practical rules for life too. Never lick a moving blender. Make the bed when you wake up. He who starts the day cleaning his own messes will learn responsibility and make a fine husband one day.

Here are four lessons I’m learning from life:

1. For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.
2. Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.
3. Don’t worry about what other people think of you. Chances are, they aren’t.
4. The one thing that unites all humans is that deep down inside we ALL believe we are good drivers.

I’ve also scribbled down something called, “Rules for life.” Here are just three:

1. “If you count all your assets, you’ll always show a profit. So be grateful.”

Last Wednesday, hail the size of a third-grader mulched my garden. It pulverized our tomatoes, crushed our cucumbers, creamed our peas, blanched our beans, liquidized our lettuce, chopped our celery, mashed our potatoes and squished our squash. If you want some V-8 juice, come on over to our house. But as my wife and I surveyed the damage, we thought of friends whose houses were damaged by baseball-sized hail. And farmers whose crops were wiped out. So, we gave thanks for our ample blessings.

2. “Friends are like books: You can’t read them all, so just choose the best ones.”

Select your friends with the utmost care. A young guy said, “My parents are always after me about my friends.” I said, “That’s because they love you. Your friends can make or break your life.” If you hang out with goats, you’ll smell like them. So, choose wisely.

3. “It’s nice to have things, just don’t let things have you.”

I always thought it strange that people bowed to idols. Then I found myself sacrificing peace by spending time trying to impress people I didn’t really know with things I didn’t really need to get air miles I was too busy to use. Jesus said in Matthew 6 (NLT), “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.  Store your treasures in heaven…Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

Be thankful. Choose wisely. Slow down. And, I almost forgot — I need to run and make the bed!

Huddle:

What rule would you add to my list? What is one practical thing you can do to bring glory to God?

Remember:

“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” (Matthew 6:21)

Pray:

Ask God to help your desires line up with his.