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Something Worth Doing

Something Worth Doing, Part 6: Choose Something Worth Keeping

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(If you need to know what this is all about, start with the first post in the series and click through the succeeding links. Also, as posts are added links will be placed in that first post to each one.) 

Today, I want to…

Choose Something Worth Keeping.

 

Choose Wisely

One of my favorite movies is “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” Two scenes from that movie really highlight the importance of wise choices. The first is when Jones, Dr. Elsa Schneider, and Walter Donovan were together in the Grail room. The Grail Knight explained they had to choose the right cup from the numerous chalices. It was the final test. “But choose wisely, for while the true Grail will bring you life, the false Grail will take it from you.” Schneider and Donovan searched among the cups and found a golden, jewel-encrusted cup—a cup fit for a king. However, when Donovan drank from it, the life was sucked right out from his body. The knight’s response: “He chose poorly.” Jones, however, chose the cup of a carpenter. It wasn’t shiny. It wasn’t gold. It had no jewels. In fact, it didn’t look like anything anyone else would want. However, it was the real cup. It was something worth keeping.

Then there is the moment of truth scene. The Grail Knight had explained the Grail could not leave the cave. Yet, Schneider had tried to take it. An earthquake ensued. Schneider, trying to reach the cup, had a choice. She had fallen into a crack and was only saved because Jones was able to grab her hand. The cup was almost within reach. She could either keep reaching for the cup and fall to certain death, or choose to go back with Jones and have life. She chose the cup and joined Donovan in death. In an amazing turn of events, Jones found himself in the exact same situation. His father holding on to him as he swung above the dark abyss. The cup was at the tip of his fingers. If he just could stretch a few more inches he could get it. He wanted to get the cup for his dad. But the elder Jones simply said, “Junior, let it go.” Indiana Jones chose his father and life over the cup. They road off into the sunset.

Both scenes highlight choices—poor ones and wise ones. We all have choices. Every day we make choices. Today, I want to choose things worth keeping.

Making Choices that Last

The great struggle, however, is that instead of choosing lasting things worth keeping, we usually want tochoose things that provide a moment’s pleasure. How many have destroyed relationships because, in a moment of bitterness, instead of choosing the words that would keep the relationship alive, chose words that allowed them to let off their steam and gave them a momentary payoff of malice and anger? How many have destroyed their health because at meal times they have repeatedly made the choice of momentary pleasures instead of long-term health? (I put that one in as a reminder to me.) How many have destroyed their homes because instead of choosing the hard work it takes to have a close intimate relationship with a spouse, they have chosen the momentary pleasures of a lovers’ tryst?

Sadly, the momentary pleasure is the great enemy of choosing something worth keeping. Don’t get me wrong. Momentary pleasures are not always wrong. However, we need to take care. The shiny, golden, jewel-encrusted, thrilling choices of the moment often defeat the long-term goal of choosing things worth keeping.

I remember my dad trying to teach me this lesson. Perhaps for my birthday I had received some money. Burning a hole in my pocket, it would practically leap out of my hand to purchase some trinket that was shiny and promised big things, but broke quickly. I often remember those times now that I’m trying to teach the same lessons to my children. How easily we revert to childish choices. Ever heard of buyer’s remorse? That doesn’t come because you simply spent too much money. It comes because after you’ve spent the money, you realize it really wasn’t something worth keeping. After all, which would you prefer to keep, that shiny ski boat with its monthly payments that over the next five years will end up being three times what the boat is worth or financial security?

In a moment of rigorous honesty, we need to admit that choosing what is worth keeping is not easy or natural. We are drawn to the momentary. As Adam and Eve gave up a long-term stay in paradise for a few moments of pleasure with some luscious fruit, we are often drawn away from wisdom because something simply appeals to our eyes, our flesh, or our pride.

With your natural tendency stacked against you, how can you make these choices? Let me share four steps to make wise choices and choose things worth keeping.

Four Steps to Choose Something Worth Keeping

 

  1. Figure out what is really important. Is it more important to have the latest gizmos and gadgets or to have some financial security? Is it more important to get to pig out at the Chinese or pizza buffet or to have good health? Is it more important to check Facebook page again or to get your work done this week?
  2. Look at tomorrow. Normally, I encourage focusing on one day at a time. However, in this case, looking to the future is the best course. When you make this choice in front of you, what will happen next? How will you feel about it after you’ve experienced it? How will you feel about this choice tomorrow, next week, next year? If you choose to spend 4 hours watching television this afternoon instead of getting your work done, what will happen? I’ve done that before. I know where it leads for me. I’ll be grumpy when I get home because I didn’t get anything productive done all day. That means I’ll be waspish with my wife and a fight will likely ensue or I’ll be short with my kids and overreact in disciplining them. That will drive a wedge in my family relationships, increase my guilt and shame, and cause even more problems. Tomorrow, I’ll have to get twice as much done, but because the pressure is increased I’ll feel the need for a break even more. Further, come the weekend, I won’t have my work done so family time will be out the window. Can you see the progression here? If I just think the choice through past the moment, I’ll choose more things worth keeping.
  3. Be anchored in reality. Most of our bad choices are made in a fantasy world. For instance, I remember the time Marita and I bought our first car together.  We had been married two or three years and her car was acting up. We convinced ourselves she was in real danger. That car might die in the middle of the road and she would probably get plowed by an 18-wheeler. Or she might get stranded on the side of the road (this was before we had cell phones) and get kidnapped by some crazed maniac. It was really a matter of life and death to buy her a better vehicle. Not to mention, even though we didn’t owe any money on it we were making repeated repairs. Those repairs were going to put us in the poor house. Getting a new car was the only option for our financial peace. We were sure of it. Not to mention, we had always wanted a Camry. That Corolla just didn’t say enough about us. I called her up one night and said, “Let’s go down to the car dealer, we absolutely won’t buy anything tonight. We’re just looking.” About four hours later we were pulling into some friends’ driveway to show them the new car we had. Of course, it wasn’t actually new; we couldn’t afford those payments. We ended up with a used car that quickly need monthly repairs, but still had a monthly payment. Hmmm, reality check. I wish I could say that was the last of our awful mistakes with money. However, I think I can say that every financial mistake I’ve ever made came right down to this point. I was living in a fantasyland. I worked up some kind of scenario in my head in which I was absolutely sure I was making an amazing choice. What I needed was a reality check.
  4. Get the reality check by checking with someone who is living in reality. Swallow your pride and ask someone about the choice you are making. Is making the move, taking that new job, buying that new car, seeing that new special someone, or whatever the choice may be really as awesome as you’ve made it out to be? Or have you created a fantasy world in your mind? Folks who don’t live in your mind will be able to tell. The fact is, once your living in the fantasy world any stranger off the street could probably give you better advice than you’ll give yourself. Do you really think spending several hundred dollars on an electronic planner or a phone that syncs to Outlook is really going to fix all your discipline problems? If you talk to someone who lives in the real world before making that choice, you’ll much more likely choose to do something with that money that is worth keeping. Sometimes, I’ve learned that just having to spell the case out to others in a logical way so they can give some feedback causes me to see through my own fantasies. I’ve often figured out the better way by the time I finish asking the question and don’t even need to hear their answer at that point.

 

Choices are everywhere. Don’t worry, every single choice we make is not earth-shattering or life-altering. However, you do need to choose wisely. Like the true Grail, choosing things worth keeping will give us life.

(Come back next Wednesday to learn about Sacrificing Something Worth Giving Up.) 

Something Worth Doing; Part 5: Give Something Worth Getting

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(If you need to know what this is all about, start with the first post in the series and click through the succeeding links. Also, as posts are added links will be placed in that first post to each one.) 

Today, I want to…

Give Something Worth Getting.

The Greater Blessing

Imagine you are taking a standardized test and you are asked to choose the word that most accurately completes the following sentence:

Today, I want to ___________ something worth getting.

     A.    waste
     B.    give
     C.   hoard
     D.   receive

Let’s face it, on that test, we would have picked D not B. What a shock to find out the real answer is to give and not receive. That’s our goal today–not to receive something worth getting, not to hoard something worth keeping, but to give something worth getting.

Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” What?! How can that be? Surely it is more of a blessing to receive. I guess that depends on the heart. If we have taking, grasping, hoarding, selfish hearts, we’ll never grasp why we should want to give rather than receive something worth getting. However, if we can develop selfless, serving, sharing, generous hearts, then both Jesus’ statement and Kelsey’s make perfect sense.

The struggle, of course, if you’re like me, is there is just so much stuff out there that we want. Advertisements on television and radio abound with cool stuff. We drive by our dream cars and dream houses every day. Our friends all have cool stuff. It is just so simple to get caught up in the pursuit of stuff. Selfishness is just too easy. Our two favorite days of the year are birthday and Christmas. Why? Because we get stuff and it better be stuff worth getting. If not, we’ll return it to the store so we can select the stuff we think is worth getting.

However, this endless pursuit of stuff is…well…endless. There is not a set amount of stuff that will ever be enough. No level of getting will provide fulfillment or meaning in life. There is not some perfect gift out there that will end our desire for more. Lasting contentment, peace, serenity, joy, and satisfaction do not come from receiving. In fact, think back to your last birthday or your last Christmas. What did you get? Can you remember five things? Can you remember even one? Today, do you feel fulfilled because of the great presents you received in the past or is your materialism geared up for the next gadget, gizmo, or gift you hope to receive that will fix things?

The Great Fix

Shakespeare wrote, “To receive or to give, that is the question. To get, perchance to be satisfied. Ay, there’s the rub. For in what receiving can we ever find fulfillment.” Well, he didn’t write exactly that, but it does get to the point. Somehow we convince ourselves that all our hopes, dreams, and plans will be fulfilled in the next purchase. We convince ourselves all our fears, insecurities, and anxieties will be resolved with the right gift. Like an addict seeking the next high, we are sure if we could just get that right thing, everything will be fixed in our lives. We’ve been waiting and waiting, searching and searching, receiving and receiving, but it never happens. When the old gift wears off, we start looking for a new one.

As a teen, I was certain having a car would fix things. Now I have a car and it is the thing that most needs fixing.  I used to be certain owning my own house would provide satisfaction. Now I have a house and what I’m sure will satisfy is a house with a pool, game room, and my very own office. I was absolutely sure having an expensive, classy-looking, impressive day planner would solve my discipline issues. It did for about a week, now I’m not even sure where it is. I was convinced getting a new computer would fix my technology woes. For a month I was on cloud nine. Now, I’ve seen the newest version at the store and I’m dying to get it. On and on and on I could go. Acquiring stuff just doesn’t fix anything. Rather, it simply reminds us of the emptiness of material goods. They look shiny. They are impressive. But really they are hollow. Many people are depressed because they didn’t get what they wanted today. However, many are depressed because they did and it hasn’t helped at all. No wonder Jesus also said our lives are not made up of our possessions.

What then are our lives made of? What does provide meaning? Relationships. How do relationships grow? Through giving. Yes, sometimes through giving gifts, but usually through giving ourselves. Give time. Give a listening ear. Give a shoulder to cry on. Give help. Give effort. Give understanding. Give vulnerability. Give support. Give intimacy. Give yourself. As you release your grasp on all the stuff you want and start giving of yourself to others, watch your peace and serenity grow. Feel fulfillment increase. See meaning in your life swell.

The Golden Rule

Jesus also said we should treat others the way we want to be treated. That is the heart of giving something worth getting. Instead of demanding that others treat us the way we want to be treated, instead of demanding that others sacrifice for us, we must treat them the way we want to be treated, we must sacrifice for them. When we are focused on giving rather than receiving, we are focused on others.

However, we go even a step further. We are not just giving. We are giving something worth getting. This is no half-hearted attempt to give. This is not giving as an afterthought. This is not giving as manipulation. This is sacrificial love. When we give something worth getting, the recipient will know it would have been worth keeping. Yet, instead of keeping it, we gave it to them.

Here is a great place to start. Pick someone with whom you are having a real problem, someone who just rubs you the wrong way, someone with whom you have bitter resentments. Take the prayer challenge for them. For the next month, at least once per day, pray that God will grant that person the blessings you want and need in your life. At the end of the month, see how your perspective toward that person has changed. Then you can take another step. Don’t just pray about it, start being an answer to your prayer and give blessing to that person. Now, if you think that will positively impact your relationship with someone who is an enemy, imagine what it will do when that is how you treat your friends as well.

Today, I don’t want to focus on receiving. I want to focus on giving. I don’t want to give just anything. Half measures avail nothing. I want to give something worth getting. 

 

(Come back next Wednesday as we learn about Choosing Something Worth Keeping.)

Something Worth Doing, Part 4: Say Something Worth Repeating

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(If you need to know what this is all about, start with the first in the series and follow the successive links. Also, links to each post in this series are added to that first post as they are made live on the website).

Today, I want to…

…Say Something Worth Repeating

I can’t help but notice what this resolution does not say. It does not say, “I want to say something worth crediting to me.” Some will look at this statement, as I was initially tempted to, and be filled with pride. Oh yes, I want to say something everyone will take upon their lips and repeat the world around. I want it to find its way in to the news, into books, into magazine articles. I want to make sure my name is in the byline. I want people repeating me and knowing it is me they are repeating. I want to be a Jesus, a Socrates, a Benjamin Franklin, a Mark Twain. I want to say things people will record and for which people will hold me in renown.

However, that is not what this resolution says. This resolution says, “I want to say something worth repeating.” You want to say things that will be alright to say again. You want to say things that if someone else says them, it will be alright. You want to say things that if someone does happen to quote you and credit you with them, you won’t be ashamed. Certainly, you want to say things that are so helpful people will want to repeat them. But first, you need to say things that are okay to repeat.

Some Things Aren’t Worth Saying the First Time

This is not as easy as it sounds. There are all kinds of things that are shameful to say the first time, let alone repeat–gossip, slander, foul language, malice, dirty jokes, confidences, bitterness, hate, lewdness.The list could go on. When we see this list, we easily recognize how bad these things are, but they so easily creep into our speech.

There is a thrill that comes from knowing something and passing it on. For a moment, there is a power you feel as you pass on some juicy detail of gossip and slander or even just passing on something told you in confidence. However, in the end the gossip, slander, and betraying of confidences destroys your relationships and leaves you empty and wasted.

There is a thrill that comes with venting malice, anger, and hatred. You’ll get a little payoff as you get to say the deepest and darkest things you feel and watch others tremble. However, once that moment passes all that will be left you is the knowledge of the hurt and damage you have wreaked in the lives of others and in your relationship with them.

There is a thrill that comes from dabbling in the immoral. You’ll get a little pay off from passing on the immoral jokes, making the lewd double entendres, repeating the foul language. Some small part of you will feel mature. After all, that is the stuff for mature audiences. However, as time goes on, that speech will crowd out your maturity and you will find you are actually immature and unable to relate to people on any level of real maturity. Your mind will be filled with immorality and you will not be able to relate to people as people. They will merely be objects for your immoral thoughts and words.

Trust me, the momentary thrill of these kinds of base speech are not worth the lasting damage they cause to your spirit, your relationships, your life. These things are not worth saying once, let alone repeating.

Paul’s Three Keys for Saying Something Worth Repeating

Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Paul provides us with three keys to make sure we are saying something worth repeating.

1. Good for building up.

Picture the person you are talking to as a home. Your words need to build, fortify, strengthen that house, not something that tears down, weakens, or destabilizes it. You need to be laying good foundations in that relationship. You need to be providing great support. You need to be adding protection.

No doubt, at times you will have to say negative things. Every house needs some work. You may have to help remove rotten wood or caulk destructive leaks. Remember, however, your words in this instance are to be about repair and restrengthening, not about demolition and destruction. Your attitude in these cases makes all the difference.

2. Fitting the occasion.

Your words should be appropriate to what is going on. They should meet the needs of the moment. Nothing is worse than the guy who can’t stand the tension, stress, emotion of a moment so he cracks an inappropriate joke. Then there is the woman who can’t seem to stand someone else being the center of attention and pulls every conversation back to herself. Of course, there is always the well-meaning person who believes his job is to fix everything and won’t listen long enough to see all he needs to do is be supportive.

Sometimes, the most fitting thing for the occasion is to simply be quiet. Silence almost always bears repeating. You want to say things worth repeating, but often the occasion merely warrants listening. One of the best ways to say things worth repeating is to just not say much. I can guarantee you this, not saying much will cause people to listen more closely when you do say something.

Having said that, there are also times when silence is not right. When you witness abuse, misuse of power, infringement of justice, error, you have to stand up and speak. Many may not like you, but as long as truth and right are on your side then you’ll be saying things worth repeating.

3. Giving grace.

I know we mentioned this as we learned to write things worth reading, but Paul said something here worth repeating. Whether in writing or in speech, our words should be gifts. They should bestow goodwill, pleasure, blessing.

Picture a birthday party. The table is laden with gifts and whoever you are speaking to is about to open your gift. How would they respond if what was on the inside of that gift was what you were about to say to them? What if tables were turned? Before you say that next sentence, ask yourself, “Would I want to receive these words in a gift?”

In reality, you may never say anything the masses take up as a mantra and pass on from generation to generation. Then again, maybe you will. However, if you remove things not worth repeating from your speech and follow these three guidelines, you may be surprised to find out the great impact you have in the lives of others. At least you will have the peace and joy of knowing that what you say is worth repeating whether or not anybody ever does.

(Come back next Wednesday to learn about Giving Something Worth Getting.)

Something Worth Doing, Part 3: Read Something Worth Sharing

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(If you need to know what this is all about, start with the first in the series and follow the links.)

Today, I want to…

Read Something Worth Sharing

A wise man said, “Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” There are just a lot of things to read out there. Over 170,000 books are published each year. Over 10,000 magazines are published each year. These statistics are just for the U.S. There are newspapers for every major city. Blogs have gone wild. My Google Reader inbox is insane. I can’t keep my e-mail empty.

There is simply too much to read.

However, you don’t need to read everything. Just because something has been written, doesn’t mean it is worth sharing. Just because something makes its way onto Amazon.com or into Barnes and Noble, doesn’t mean you need to waste any time on it. You want to read things worth sharing.

You want to read things that so impact your life, you can’t help but pass them on to people. This can run the gambit of genres. You can read business books, self-help books, science fiction, mysteries, cooking magazines, and on the list goes. Some things are worth sharing for their entertainment value. There really is some benefit in the temporary escape offered through books. Some things are worth sharing because of their informative value. If it can help you be a better blogger, then it will help you with your first goal of writing things worth reading, won’t it? Some things are worth sharing for their educational value. We all have to learn sometimes. Some things are worth sharing for their inspirational value. None of us are just a perpetual bundle of self-motivation. We can always use help. Some things are worth sharing for their spiritual value. We need connection to God regularly to survive being stuck on this planet.

There are really three main things you have to do if you are going to read something worth sharing.

1. Read.

2. Read humbly.

3. Quit reading things not worth sharing.

1. Read.

I know. This seems just too obvious to state. However, did you notice that “read something worth sharing” started with “read something”? You can’t possibly read something worth sharing if you don’t read. This is the number one killer on this goal. Most folks just don’t want to read. I know you are already working on this, because you are reading right now. I hope what you are reading is worth sharing.

Either way, if you want to continue this goal. You are going to have to keep reading. Don’t stop with this post. In reality, with all the junk out there to read, if you want to read something worth sharing, you are going to have to read a lot.

Don’t whine, “But I don’t like to read.” Maybe you just aren’t blessed with a natural desire to read. Maybe you never developed that habit. However, the problem more likely is you’ve not read much worth sharing. Or, you’ve probably only been forced to read what others thought was worth sharing and you just didn’t get into it. That’s fine. We won’t all see the same things as worth sharing. However, don’t stop reading. Keep on reading. Make it a daily goal to read something. This is the absolute first step.

Of course, I can’t get past this point without giving you an easy leg up on accomplishing this. I believe a great place to start is read your Bible. Read it every day. In my experience, there is something life-changing and share-worthy on every page. Every day I read, I find something worth sharing. You can find my shares at giveattentiontoreading.com. I hope you find them worthy of sharing.

2. Read humbly.

I once heard the story of a young man seeking a Zen master. He approached him and said, “Master, I want you to teach me.” He then listed all the things he had studied, learned, and mastered. In his mind, how could any teacher not want such an accomplished and well-developed student? The Zen master said, “I want to show you something. Do you promise to do exactly what I tell you?” “Yes, Master,” the would-be disciple replied, still trying to impress.

The master instructed the young man to pour tea into a cup and not stop until told to do so. The cup filled quickly. The young man kept pouring. The tea sloshed into the saucer. The young man kept pouring. It splashed onto the table. The young man kept pouring. It streamed onto the floor. The young man kept pouring. Finally, the kettle was empty and the young man said, “Now there is just a big mess. This was pointless.” The master said, “You are like the cup of tea. You are so full of your own knowledge, any attempt on my part to pour more knowledge in to you would be pointless and only cause a mess.”

Some could go even to the Bible and not read things worth sharing. They are too full of themselves to see what is worth sharing. You will only ever read things worth sharing when you read with humility. Set aside what you think you know and listen for a while. You might be surprised at what you read that is worth sharing.

Don’t misunderstand. Before sharing, you need to think critically. You need to reason and determine if what was written is worth sharing. However, if you read with a closed and prejudiced mind you’ll never read anything worth sharing. If you read only to see if people already agree with you, you’ll never read anything worth sharing.

The fact is, for me, the things I have found most worth sharing are those that have broadened my perspective, changed my mind, enlightened my soul. Very rarely were the things I have found most worth sharing merely things that just reaffirmed what I already thought. To be honest, if it is what I already think, I don’t want to read something worth sharing about it, I want to write something worth reading about it.

3. Quit reading things that are not worth sharing.

I have a terrible quirk. Once I start reading something, I feel like I have to finish it otherwise I have failed. I have slogged through some of the worst stuff just to say I finished something. I have to get over that. Let’s face it, even the humblest people find some things that simply aren’t worth sharing. The majority of the magazines at your gas station check out stand top that list.

Your goal is to read something worth sharing. If you begin to realize what you are reading now isn’t, put it down and move on to something else. Of course, the real problem is you sometimes like to read those guilty pleasures. There are some things not worth sharing because they shouldn’t be read at all, but they give you a little thrill. Get over that thrill. It is not worth the long term negative impact they have. They fill your mind with gossip, slander, immorality, discouragement, pointless arguing. If your mind is filled with that junk, so will your life. In fact, you begin to learn that you are sharing what you are reading whether it is worth sharing or not. As many have said, the only differences between you now and you this time last year are the people you’ve met and the books you’ve read. Don’t waste your time with what is not worth sharing no matter what kind of inner thrill it gives you. You don’t need to share that stuff; don’t share in it.

Like I said earlier there is just too much out there to read. Since you are going to have to read a lot to read something really worth sharing, put it down when you realize it isn’t worth sharing. Move on without regret. Oh, I’m sure an argument can be made that if we are humble enough, a nugget of gold can be found in even the most worthless readings. True. Yet, most miners realize the cost of digging is not worth just one little nugget. Reading has an opportunity cost. If it is not paying off, don’t keep hoping to find some little nugget. Move on to something else that has an entire golden vein.

Finally, if you read something worth sharing, do us all a favor. Share.

(Come back next Wednesday to learn about Saying Something Worth Repeating.)

Something Worth Doing, Part 2: Write Something Worth Reading

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(If you need to know what this is all about, start with the first post in this series and follow the links.)

Today, I want to…

write something worth reading.

Despair.com has an interesting take on all the writing going on these days. Their “Blogging” lithograph says it succinctly: “Never before have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few.” Let’s break out of this cynical mode. Let’s write something worth reading.

Don’t write something to make you popular. Don’t write something to make you millions. Don’t write something to make you look good. Write something worth reading. If you do, some of those other things may happen; then again they may not. If you write to pursue popularity, prosperity, or prestige, you will never be anything more than a hack, chasing the whims of the fickle masses. Your writing will leave you empty, unfulfilled, meaningless, and used.

However, if you dig down inside your own heart, mining the gold God has given you through your own background, passions, study, experiences, and write something worth reading, you’ll find fulfillment, meaning, and usefulness in your writing. Whether many or few like your writing won’t matter. Whether people flock to your writing, tossing money in your direction won’t matter. Whether critics pan you or heap accolades upon you won’t matter. You will have connected with something deeper.

So much of today’s writing is nothing more than the pursuit of our own exhibitionist and voyeuristic desires. We want to exhibit ourselves and we want to pursue the secret lives of those around us. Why else do you think blogging has become the new medium for all writing? So few people care if what they write is worth reading, if it adds to the great conversation, if it lifts up. So many have little opinions about so much and think everyone should learn them no matter what. Too many think having a pulse and a computer makes them an expert on politics, religion, life.

It is too easy to write without thought. We text, we Twitter, we Facebook, we MySpace, we blog, we e-mail, we comment. The question is do we think? Or do we just react? Are we writing something worth reading?

5 Keys to Write Something Worth Reading

1. Keep it simple

Don’t get caught up in author arrogance. Don’t think anything worth reading is worth being really long. Don’t think you have to be some profound philosopher, writing the next manifesto of world change.

We all dream of being authors. However, writing something worth reading doesn’t mean having a best-selling book. Today, you can write something worth reading by sending someone an encouraging card. You can write something worth reading by sending a thank you note. You can write something worth reading by blogging about what you learned from your children. You can write something worth reading by sending a letter to your parents. You can write something worth reading by texting some encouragement.

However, if you are writing a book or a world-changing blog, you still need to follow this principle. Keep it simple. We don’t need to know how erudite you are. If you’re smart, we’ll figure it out as you connect with us simply.

2. Keep it true

By true, I don’t mean simply factual. Fiction can be worth reading. “Lord of the Rings” and “Pride and Prejudice” come to mind. Rather, I mean true, sound, right. I mean write something that rings with truth, connects to truth, promotes truth.

Obviously, don’t spread lies and rumors even if you’re writing about the Presidential candidate you think will ruin the country. Perhaps I should include that you should only forward things worth reading too.

More than that, write something to connect your readers to truth. After all, truth will set you free. Certainly, in the original biblical context of that statement it speaks of spiritual salvation. At the same time, that statement applies across the board. Passing on lies and error will only cripple your readers, limiting them. Truth will set them free.

Remember, what is true is anchored in God. He created the universe. He created us. Disparaging that may salve your conscience for your life, but it will not set anyone free. Whether you are writing in the scientific realm, the spiritual realm, the emotional realm, or whatever realm of life you wish, anchor your writing back to God’s truth. Do this without fear. Remember, we aren’t writing to be popular. The teeming masses will reject what is true. But at least what you wrote will be worth reading, whether the masses want to read it or not.

3. Keep it genuine

God gave you your abilities, strengths, background, experiences, emotions. He did not give you someone else’s. Don’t try to be someone else when you write. Certainly, as our next installment explains we also want to read something worth sharing. When we do, we may want to share something worth reading. That’s okay. However, simply quoting someone else is not writing something worth reading. If we are going to write something worth reading, we need to write from ourselves.

I was tempted to say, “Keep it original.” However, there is nothing new under the sun. What is inside you is there because of the people you’ve met, the books you’ve read, the experiences you’ve had. The fact is, even what is genuine with you is not original in the truest sense. But that is okay. Since what is true comes from God, you don’t want to be truly original anyway.

So, quit shooting for true originality and instead be genuine. What have you learned? What have you experienced? What are you passionate about? What are you dying to share? Latch on to that and write it.

Write it your way. Certainly, learning the craft of writing is necessary. Writing it your way doesn’t mean ignore rules of spelling and grammar. Yet, be real. Be you.

4. Make it a gift

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver” (Proverbs 25:11). Our words should “give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29). Even if you have to rebuke, refute, or correct someone when you write, your words should be as a gift.

Be careful here. The point is not to think your writing is God’s gift to mankind. He’s already given that gift and you weren’t chosen to write it. What I mean is as you consider what you will write, do so in a way your audience will feel it has received a real gift. Write something that will build them up, strengthen them, encourage them. Write something that is about your reader, not about you. When you have to correct, do so with gentleness and empathy, not arrogance.

Granted, not everyone will recognize what you say as a gift. However, you need to constantly check your motivation before you write. Are you trying to put someone in their place or lift them up on a pedestal? Are you trying to shut someone down or build them up? Are you trying to exalt yourself or someone else? If you are merely trying to feed your own ego, it won’t be worth reading. No matter how wrong the recipient is, if you’re just trying to prove you’re better, it won’t be worth reading.

5. Make it clear

Writing just anything is easy. Writing something worth reading takes work. The modern computer medium often promotes rambling. You circle and circle and circle and ramble and ramble and ramble. You wrote a lot. You may have even written something good. However, anything worth reading is lost in the midst of stream of consciousness gobbledy-gook.

Please, please, please, do not say, “But I just want to write from the heart.” Do not blame your heart for bad, unclear writing. Think before you write. Consider the purpose for which you are writing and stay on task. Outline what you will write, even if only in your mind. Take what is on your heart and run it through your brain before you type it on the page.

In most mediums, this means use acceptable grammar, syntax, and spelling. Don’t be lazy in your writing. I know most people writing today are. I know most people don’t seem to care. But most people aren’t writing something worth reading. You are. Granted, as much as it pains me, you might still be clear if you text someone writing, “u r 2 awesome.” However, don’t let text messaging syntax become your normal writing pattern.

If you really want to write something worth reading, you might even want to read some books worth sharing on writing and grammar. Do whatever it takes to keep it clear.

Something Worth Reading

You don’t have to write something every day. However, if you plan on writing today, press the pause button. Check your motivation. Check your truthfulness. Check your clarity. Check your purpose. Are you just adding to the noise or is it really worth reading? 

 

(Come back next Wednesday to learn about Reading Something Worth Sharing.)