Spiritual relationship help &
Building self esteem
Chicken Soup for the Soul cocreators Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen with Chris Karcher
ABC's Dr. Timothy Johnson,
Finding God in the Questions, and Chris
.
Lee Strobel, The Case for a Creator, and Chris Karcher
Spiritual relationship help &
Building self esteem
Spiritual relationship help &
Building self esteem
Don’t overextend your reach
We do not know the particulars of what triggered the accident that sent Grandfather plummeting. One theory is the roofer above Grandfather overextended his reach.
Author Gary Zukav demonstrated on Oprah how skilled roofers catch an object thrown to them when they are perched on a rooftop. They extend their arm, but will catch the object only if it is within arm’s reach. If the toss falls short, they will not lean out and reach for it. They will let the object fall to the ground. Roofers know reaching too far leads to disaster. The length of their arm is the radius of their sphere of control.
We reach too far when we try to change other people instead of accepting them as they are. If I extend my arm and move it in a circle around my head, the circle surrounds the only person I have the ability to change: me. I have no power to change anyone else.
One of the most powerful ways to effect change is to change ourselves. Giving up the fight to control others frees us to determine our own response. The focus shifts from trying to change the other person to looking at self.
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Copyright © 2003 by Christine N. Karcher. Chris Karcher is the author of Relationships of Grace, Amazing Things I Know About You, and Relationships of Grace Workbook. To order books and tapes, schedule Chris for speaking engagements, or subscribe to Chris’ newsletter, visit www.relationshipsofgrace.com, email order@relationshipsofgrace.com, or call 1-877-GET-GRACE (1-877-438-4722).