Life Lifters from Pracademics

I like to call myself a “pracademic.” What is a pracademic? It’s someone who is educated yet practical in how they apply their education. As a pracademic, I can generally identify other pracademics. I look for quotes and thoughts from pracademics because their ideas show the 'what, why, and how' of solving real-life issues. So, here we go into real-life pracademic land.   

I like this study about average phone call durations, entitled Statistics Don't Lie: Here's the statistics. A boy–to–boy call is 59 seconds, and a boy–to–mom call is 50 seconds. A boy–to–dad call is 30 seconds. A boy–to–girl call is one hour, twenty-three minutes, and 59 seconds. A girl–to–girl call is five hours, 29 minutes, and 59 seconds. A husband-to-wife call is three seconds. A mom-to-married daughter call is ten hours, 50 minutes, and 59 seconds. And finally, a wife-to-husband call is 14 missed calls. Phew, I quit preaching, and now I’m meddling.

Here's another cheeky pracademic writing for girls in a hurry to have a boyfriend or get married. "To all the girls in a hurry to have a boyfriend or get married, a piece of biblical advice. The Bible says, "Ruth patiently waited for her mate Boaz." While you are waiting for your Boaz, please don't settle for any of his relatives: Broke-az, Po-az, Lyin-az, Cheating-az, Dumb-az, Drunk-az, Cheap-az, Lockedup-az, Godfornothing-az, Lazy-az, and especially his third cousin Beatinyo-az. Please wait for your Boaz and make sure he respects Yo-az." As a former singles pastor at Grace Community Church and Northwest Community Church in Tempe and Phoenix, Arizona, I couldn’t resist this. Now that’s practical.  

Here's author James Clear with a pracademic writing about Leaks or Puddles in our lives.  

"I split problems into two groups: muddy puddles and leaky ceilings. Some problems are like muddy puddles. The way to clear a muddy puddle is to leave it alone. The more you mess with it, the muddier it becomes. Many of the problems I dream up when overthinking, worrying, or ruminating fall into this category. Is life really falling apart, or am I just in a sour mood? Is this as hard as I'm making it, or do I need to work out? Drink some water. Go for a walk. Get some sleep. Do something else and give the puddle time to turn clear.

"Other problems are like a leaky ceiling. Ignore a small leak, and it will always widen. That small leak could be unaddressed relationship tension or overspending, which becomes a habit. It could be one missed workout drifting into months of inactivity. Some problems multiply when left unattended. You need to intervene now.”

Morgan Freeman says, “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.” 

Question: Are you dealing with a leak or a puddle?

Here is a thought from Emily McDowell about finding yourself. “Finding yourself is not how it works. You aren’t a ten-dollar bill in last winter's coat pocket. Also, you are not lost. Your true self is right there, buried under cultural conditioning, other people’s opinions, and inaccurate conclusions you drew as a kid that became your beliefs about who you are. Finding yourself is about returning to yourself. Returning to yourself is an unlearning, an excavation, a remembering of who you were before the world got its hand on you.” In other words, when you know the value of the real you, you will stop giving discounts. You had a purpose before others had an opinion. The road to recovery begins when you return to yourself.

Here is an excellent thought about How to Handle Myself When Someone Offends Me. The writing shares two different approaches to handling offenses: the destructive way and the nonviolent way. 

“When someone offends me, I tell everyone all about it. The listeners begin to think less of the offender and join me in speaking negatively about my offender. I have succeeded in the following: causing others to stumble or sin, creating division in relationships, making myself more upset by rehashing the details of the offense repeatedly, and directly, knowingly, and willfully disobeying God’s word and common wisdom by reacting according to my emotionally charged response rather than God’s Holy Spirit or common sense.”

Here’s how the offended person could have responded. “Go directly to God in prayer. God listens to me and gives me a better perspective, and I feel peace. The need to vent to others is gone or diminishing. I have honored God by valuing unity over the temporary pleasure of gossiping and gaining sympathy from others.” 

Think about this. The most influential person in your life is the one you refuse to forgive. Refusing to forgive someone is like letting them live rent-free in your head. Undoubtedly, the Lord has much more for us than that.

So, there you go. See you next week with more pracademic, hopefully life-lifting, solutions and ideas, equipping you for life.