How do you see yourself? How do you perceive others?

Humans look at the outward appearance; whereas God looks at the heart. What is your perception of others?

Here’s a quote from Winston Churchill: “The nose of the bulldog is slanted backwards so he can continue to breathe without letting go.”

First of all, if you ever look at a picture of Winston Churchill, he kind of looks like a bulldog, with his round head and grumpy face, much like a bulldog. He was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, during the Second World War..

Now the bulldog, also also known as the English Bulldog is a medium size, stocky dog with a distinctive wrinkled face, pushed-in nose, and undershot jaw. They are not the best looking dog to look at.

A dog that is similar to the Bulldog is the Pug. Pugs are a small, ancient breed known for their wrinkled face, curled tail, and charming, comical personality. A Pug is homely that they are so adorable; not like a Bulldog.

I do not care for the Poodles because they are very yippy. Poodles are highly intelligent, active and elegant dog with curly low-shedding coat. I call them yippy and lots of work to keep their hair trimmed.

I have had both good and bad experiences with the Doberman Pinchers. The Doberman Pinscher is a sleek, muscular and intelligent German dog known for being a loyal and protective companion. The bad experience was the fact that I was chased by a Doberman as a child in West Fargo in the trailer court we lived in. That same dog also chased my one sister and my other sister didn’t dared moved otherwise the dog would had gotten her. On the flipside, I was working at the horse ranch down the hill from us. They had 2 Dobermans that they kept penned up. Anyway, when one of the Doberman was gone, the other one was a whole different kind of dog to be around. He was friendly. Since my bad experience with that kind of dog I was cautious around that dog. That dog saw that and he gave me the assurance that I could trust him enough to pet him, by rubbing his head against my leg.

I brought these up to show how people perceptions can be in how we see things. When dogs are in a pack they are different than when they are alone. It also depends on how they are raised.

Persistent people begin their success where most others quit. One person with commitment, persistence, and endurance will accomplish more than a thousand people with interest alone. The more diligently we work, the harder it is to quit. Persistence is a habit; so is quitting.

Are you persistent in what you do? Are you a quitter? Do you quit when things get too tough, thinking that they will never get it? Do you throw your hands up in the air in frustration? Do you feel like pulling out your hair in disgust? I don’t know about you; but I do get frustrated at times when things don’t go as expected

We must never worry about how much money, ability, or equipment you are starting with. Remember: it’s not what you have, it’s what you do with what you have that makes all the difference.

In Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Let us fight the good fight. Stand your Ground!

For those who ever planted a fruit tree or strawberries and raspberries knows that they don’t bear fruit the first year. It takes time, water, and patience as with anything else in life.

Now patience is a virtue. I have been told that you must never pray for patience; otherwise you may get more than you can bear. I’m not a patience person. Do you have patience? They say that doctors make the worse kind of patients.

PATIENCE: is the ability to remain calm and self-possessed when facing delays without complaining or becoming annoyed.

Many times our dreams and plans appear not to be succeeding. We are tempted to give up and quit trying. Instead, we need to continue to water and fertilize those dreams and plans, nurturing the seeds of the vision God has placed within you.

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going! Keep running the race marked out before you.

Like the race between the tortoise and the hare, the hare was so far ahead of the tortoise that he decided to stop and rest a little to give the tortoise a chance to catch up. You see, the tortoise may be slow but they are steady; because they of that the tortoise was able to beat the hare in the race.

I may not be the fastest but I keep prodding along and remain steadfast. We all works at a different speed, just like we are not all alike. We are all unique and special. If you don’t like someone because of how they dress, behavior, or their opinions; you have that right. Just don’t get mad if they don’t accept your opinions as well. We don’t have to agree with one another. We just have to learn to accept and move on. Somehow in this world people doesn’t seem to do that. They get mad and some even downright hate a person because they disagree with you, God forbids.

The next time you have a disagreement with someone because you don’t agree with them over a certain issues, just say that’s your opinions and move from there. Learn to disagree peacefully and work together. We used to do that in this world years ago. Somehow that all change the last few years. Some people blamed Obama and some blame Trump. I don’t think both are too blame. It could be the rise of Social Media.

Social Media was created for something good but somehow discord and hatred came out of it. Let us learn to look at others the way God sees us. Let us look at the heart of a person and not at the outward appearance. Be the way God made you! Don’t worry about what others think about you. Don’t give up the fight! You got to REMAIN STRONG and keep prodding along. You wouldn’t get anywhere if you just give up.

This is my third tidbits for the year. Something for you to chew on and hopefully grow from it. You don’t have to agree, just let it sink in.