Something My Wife Had Never Done - Apples of Gold - July 8, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for July 8, 2009

“Something My Wife Had Never Done”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

My wife did something this week that she had never done before.

She cut my hair.

Now my wife is not a hair cutter.  She never cuts anyone’s hair, and she has no training.

But just for the kick of it, I asked her to cut my hair.  “It’s just hair,” I said, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

So she went to the store and bought the absolute cheapest hair clippers.  The box had already been ripped open, she said, but it was the last one they had, and she was pretty sure all the parts were there.

Now remember.  She went to the store and she bought the clippers.  Because as soon as she started cutting she said, “I think you’re going to regret buying the cheapest clippers.”

Okay, I admit, I did tell her to go cheap.  After all, it was just an experiment, just trying something new.

So she started cutting with a #4, but wasn’t satisfied.  “It doesn’t look any different,” she said.

Uh oh.  Her goal is to make me look “different.”

“Okay,” I said, “You can make it shorter on the sides, but leave it a little longer on top.”

“Oops.”

That’s what she said.  “Oops.  Now it looks like you have a big dent in your head.”

“Well, just blend it in,” I said.  “It’ll be alright.”

Then all the kids walked in and started commenting.  Now it was “hair cut by committee.”

Well there’s only one direction hair can be cut, you know, and that’s what I got.

Finally one daughter said, “Oh, just cut it all off.”

Oh yes, it was great fun.  For them.

When it was all over my wife looked at me, laughed, and then apologized.

And now here’s my point.  Listen to what I said. 

I said, “Oh it’s fine.  I’m not looking at this haircut.  I’m not really looking at the next five haircuts.  The haircut I’m looking at is the one a year from now, when you know exactly what to do.”

And here’s the principle.  It’s easier to deal with today’s frustrations when you are moving toward a goal.

See, it starts with the goal.  My goal is to get a good haircut, whenever I want, right there at home.  I may not have the best haircut today, but I can live with that as long as I’m moving toward my goal.

Now take a look at your own life.  Think of an area of frustration, and now let me ask you, are you moving toward a goal?

If not, then do this.  Picture a day in the future.  What do you want that day to look like?  Fix that picture in your mind, and start moving toward it.

It’s like the picture on a puzzle box.  You see the outcome, then you start putting the pieces in place.  But it would be very frustrating to work on a puzzle with no picture.

So you have to get that picture in your mind. 

That’s what a couple of guys did in the Bible. 

In Matthew 25 Jesus told the Parable of the Talents, talents being money.  A man passed out money to his servants, then left on a journey.

So there sat the servants with this money.  Now what?

Well here is what I think they did (two of them, anyway).  They pictured in their mind that day when the master returned.  What did they want that day to look like?

That became their goal, and they started working toward it.  I’m sure they had their frustrating moments, but they were much easier to cope with because they had a goal.

Since we’re talking about my wife today, I’ll tell you that she is taking classes at FSU – and that brings certain frustrations.  At times I’m sure she feels like quitting.  However, she can deal with those frustrations because she is working toward a goal.

So pray about it, then picture a day in your future.  What do you want that day to look like?

Fix that picture in your mind, then start putting together the pieces of the puzzle.

Yes, frustrations will pop up.  We all get a bad haircut now and then.

But today’s frustrations are so much easier to deal with when you are looking ahead and working toward a goal.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip 
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
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