The Can-Do Challenge

Stick a Geranium in Your Hat and Be Happy! That’s the title of a book by humorist Barbara Johnson. It’s not that she had an easy life, either. It’s just that she chose to encourage both herself and others with humor.

This popular speaker and author also published a perpetual calendar. You can’t help but smile just seeing the illustration of Barbara on every page. There she is, “the geranium lady,” trying to make the lid of a box stay down by sitting on it.

One thing I like about Barbara is her honesty. She carefully credits others if she uses one of their inspirational or witty sayings.

Here’s one that stuck with me this week:

    Do all the good you can

        By all the means you can

            In all the ways you can

                In all the places you can

    At all the times you can

        To all the people you can

            As long as you ever can

It is credited to John Wesley, a famous minister in an earlier century, but it’s good advice for us today.

Seven times we are told, “You can.” And why not? It’s a choice. We can!

It doesn’t take a scholar to know what’s good and what’s evil. It simply requires a little personal honesty. What do we want to pursue? How do we want to impact those around us?

I like the advice in the Amplified Version of Psalm 34:14: Depart from evil and do good; seek, inquire for, and crave peace and pursue (go after) it.

Peace is a by-product of doing good. I could give you a list of good things to do, but it’s more important that you make it personal.

What are the ways, means, places, times, or people you can do good for today, or any day? It won’t be your thoughts that count, but your actions.