Do you ever get sore muscles? How do you treat them? Most people will intuitively stretch a muscle that is tight or cramped. They will do this even though the stretching is uncomfortable. It is beneficial for the body and serves to restore proper function and range of motion. Have you ever been “stretched” in ways other than physical? Did you seek out these opportunities or did they come to you? Athletes, dancers, and others who take physical performance seriously are smart to do intentional stretching even if it hurts.

Do you hold contempt for other faiths? You accept the truth claims of your own faith and reject those of others, but you can do this in a gracious and loving way. Contempt like bitterness is a characteristic of the one expressing it, not of its intended target. Consider my own example. I was Jewish, but I lived in a culture in which many faiths were practiced. On rare occasions I would affirm the claims of my own faith relative to others, but did I ever hold them in contempt? I invite you to follow my example.

Do you know the difference between wishing and hoping? Hope looks forward and is based on the expectation of fulfillment. Wishing is an expression of preference that can be disconnected from reality. You may wish that things had been different in the past, but you have no hope for that. Wishful thinking has a negative connotation, but being hopeful does not. You may note that hope is a Biblical concept while wishing is not. You don’t know what the future holds, but you can have hope for the future since you know the one who holds the future, and this isn’t just wishful thinking.

In the world of commerce, those with whom you do business can be thought of as customers or clients. Do you know the difference? The term customer implies that a transaction takes place and nothing more. To view someone as a client implies that you are caring for their interests. Customers should be treated with courtesy, but being a client implies a higher level of involvement. Which type of treatment do you prefer for yourself? This principle can be applied beyond the world of commercial transactions. You can treat every person you meet as a client rather than a customer.