Common Sense stories that Strengthen Lives to Live Well
by Dennis Petersen
In the midst of all the heavy stories of conflict and crisis in our world today, it’s important that we keep our sense of purpose and meaningfulness on the reality of reflecting the true joys in everyday life.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed and bogged down in our emotions by the many serious concerns of our larger world… things that we understandably should be praying about… things that we mostly can’t do a whole about directly. But there are also big parts of our life that we can do something about. And it really comes down to keeping centered on the most basic realities of why we exist on this earth.
There’s a passage in the Bible that really made a difference in my life when I started to take a really deep interest in what the Bible has to say to counsel me with how to live a wise, God-honoring, and productive life. I wish I’d discovered it a lot sooner as a young person. It was written by the wisest person to ever live… King Solomon. It’s tucked away in a book of our Bible that deserves more attention than we ordinarily give it… Ecclesiastes.
Many Christians are familiar with part of the passage… a really important part… that seems to get all the attention. It says:
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”
But the part surrounding that is what I’m focusing on today. It tells us:
“I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied… I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor – it is the gift of God.” Eccl 3:10-13
Did you catch that? One of the gifts of God to every man is the “God-given task” to do good in their lives… AND to enjoy the resulting good fruit of his labor!
Is that an encouraging message from God that you think ought to be shared with everybody you know?
I mean, think of it. God actually takes delight in having His created humans – who are created to reflect their Creator’s image – do good things with their lives and enjoy the good things that result from that work.
I have more to say about some Scripture passages that amplify that concept, but first, I want to share some short stories that make some very powerful impacts on how we live with other people.
“My name’s Harold. I’m 68. I fix bicycles in my garage on Sycamore Street. Been doing it since I retired from the factory. Mostly kids’ bikes, flat tires, loose chains, handlebars that wobble.
Parents drop them off, pick them up, pay me whatever they can. Five bucks, ten bucks, sometimes nothing. Don’t matter to me. I just like fixing things.
Last summer, a boy rolled up with a bike held together by duct tape and prayer. Frame bent, both tires flat, chain rusted solid. Kid couldn’t have been more than ten.
“Can you fix it?” he asked.
I looked at that bike. Should’ve gone to the dump years ago. “Where’d you get this?”
“Trash pile behind the apartments. I need it for my paper route. Gotta help Mom with rent.”
Ten years old. Paper route. Helping with rent.
“Come back Saturday,” I said.
I didn’t fix that bike. I built him a new one. Used parts from bikes people donated, never picked up, left to rust. Spent three days on it. Made it solid. Made it safe. Painted it blue.
Saturday came. The boy’s face when he saw it, I’ll never forget that. “This… this is mine?”
“It’s yours. Ride careful.”
He hugged me. Rode off whooping down the street.
Word got around. Kids started showing up with trash bikes, broken bikes, bikes that barely rolled. They needed them for school, for work, to get to practices their parents couldn’t drive them to.
I couldn’t build new bikes for everyone. But I could teach them.
Started “Harold’s Bike Workshop” every Saturday morning. Kids bring their broken bikes, I show them how to fix them. How to true a wheel. Replace a chain. Patch a tube. Use the tools right.
At first, they just wanted free repairs. But something shifted. They started taking pride. Learning. Helping each other.
The girl who couldn’t afford new tires learned to scavenge parts from the dump, clean them up, make them work. The teenager who everyone said was headed nowhere rebuilt an entire bike from scraps, sold it, used the money to buy tools. Started his own little repair business.
Now? Thirty kids come every Saturday. My garage is packed. We’ve fixed over two hundred bikes. Built forty-seven from scratch.
But here’s what matters, those kids learned they’re not helpless. That broken things can be made whole with patience and work. That you don’t need money to solve problems, just knowledge and willingness to try.
Last month, the boy with the blue bike came back. He’s fifteen now. Rolled up on that same bike, still running strong.
“Mr. Harold, I saved enough from my route. Going to community college next year. Mechanic program. Because you showed me, I’m good at fixing things.”
He handed me an envelope. “For parts. For the next kid.”
Inside was three hundred dollars in small bills. Years of paper route money.
I tried to give it back. He wouldn’t take it.
“You fixed more than my bike,” he said. “You fixed what I thought about myself.”
I’m 68. I fix bicycles in a garage that smells like grease and old metal.
But I’ve learned this, teaching someone to fix their own broken things, that’s not charity. That’s dignity. That’s power.
So, teach something today. Anything. Show someone how things work. How to repair, build, create.
Because the world doesn’t need more people fixing things for others.
It needs more people teaching others to fix things themselves.”
Credit – Mr Commonsense posted on Weird World Weird World
How can we help every young person be confident that he’s gifted by his Creator with special gifts, special abilities, special inclinations, and special circumstances to form his future into a special purpose to serve other people and to serve his heavenly Father?
This may be a true story, but even if it’s fiction, the lesson it teaches is true. Thank God for the folks with callused hands–not calloused hearts.
It was a special day at a public-school library, as people were entering the building to attend the event, when a middle-aged man in normal clothes walks in. Hear the story in the first-person narrative and listen for the message that forms a life… worth modeling after.
The man in the three-thousand-dollar suit glanced at my hands before he even looked at my face.
“Maintenance is down the hall,” he said politely. “Air conditioning issue?”
I knew exactly what he saw.
Knuckles scarred from decades of wrench work.
Hands thick from turning bolts in freezing truck stops.
A permanent line of grease beneath my nails that even my best scrubbing can’t erase.
I looked at his hands—smooth, manicured, topped off with a heavy gold watch.
“No, sir,” I said, my voice a little too loud for the pristine high-school library. “I’m here for Career Day. I’m Jason’s father.”
He blinked, gave a stiff smile, but his eyes said what he didn’t:
You? Really?
My name is Mike Riley. I’m 58 years old. I’ve been a long-haul truck driver for thirty years. I’m a widower, a veteran, and a dad who tries his best. My son Jason attends this polished suburban school where everything smells like new textbooks and wealth.
This was Sarah’s school—my late wife. She taught here, loved here, lived here. After she passed, the school created a scholarship in her name.
So, when Jason told his teacher I was a “logistics and supply chain specialist” and should speak at Career Day, I felt like saying yes was a way of honoring her.
I parked my old F-150 between a luxury SUV and a spotless German sedan. I walked in wearing my best jeans, a fresh flannel shirt, and boots I’d shined twice.
Inside the library, the lineup of presenters read like a magazine cover.
Dr. Chen, neurosurgeon, opened with a futuristic video on brain mapping.
Mr. Davies, the finance dad with the gold watch, followed with stock charts and phrases like “leveraging capital” and “Q4 positioning.”
Jason sat in the back row, shoulders hunched, wishing he could disappear.
Then the principal touched my arm.
“Mr. Riley? You’re next.”
I walked to the front with nothing but my own voice. No slides. No videos. Just the truth.
“Good morning,” I began. “My name is Mike Riley. I’m not a doctor or an investor. I didn’t finish college. I’m a truck driver.”
Murmurs. Curious glances. A few raised eyebrows.
“My son calls me a logistics expert. Which I guess means I drive a very big truck a very long way. And I figure I’m here to explain why that matters.”
I turned to Dr. Chen.
“What you do saves lives. But the tools you use—every circuit, every wire, every plastic casing—those didn’t appear out of thin air. Someone packed them in a crate. Someone loaded that crate on a truck. Someone drove it across the country.”
Then I nodded toward the finance dad.
“And sir, those numbers you showed? They represent real things—food, medicine, steel, supplies. This country doesn’t run on unlimited Wi-Fi and spreadsheets. It runs on wheels. On people willing to travel thousands of miles so shelves stay full and hospitals stay stocked.”
The room grew still.
“In March 2020,” I said, “when everything shut down, you stayed home. You did puzzles. You baked bread. But drivers were told to keep going. It felt like I was the only person on the highway some days. I delivered 40,000 pounds of toilet paper once. My dispatcher cried on the phone because her own mom couldn’t find any. You can’t Zoom a bag of flour. You can’t download hand soap.”
Students leaned forward. Teachers nodded.
“Two winters ago, I was hauling insulin across Wyoming. A blizzard shut down the interstate. I sat in that cab for three days—twenty below zero—listening to the hum of the refrigeration unit. If that unit died, so did the medicine. I wasn’t thinking about the cost. I was thinking about the family waiting for it.”
I scanned the room. Jason was sitting up straight now.
A student in a tee-shirt, showing off the words – “Future CEO” – across the front, raised his hand.
“Sir… don’t you regret not going to college? My dad says jobs like yours mean people didn’t have other choices.”
The room froze.
I smiled gently. “Son, when the lights go out, you call a lineman, not a business professor. When the pipes burst, you don’t reach for a textbook—you call a plumber. And when you walk into a store expecting food on the shelf, you’re relying on farmers, factory workers, warehouse crews, dispatchers, and drivers like me.”
I paused.
“Those careers aren’t fallbacks. They’re foundations.”
A voice spoke from the back. Quiet at first.
“My mom’s a dispatcher.”
A skinny kid stood up, eyes shining.
“She works nights. Holidays. She’s the one who finds drivers when hospitals need supplies. People yell at her all the time when packages are late, but she keeps going. She isn’t less important than anyone else.”
He looked at the CEO shirt kid.
“She’s a hero. And so is he.”
He pointed at me.
The room fell silent. Then applause. Real, heartfelt applause.
Jason walked up and stood beside me. He didn’t speak—he just put his arm around me. And that was enough.
Later, on the drive home, he finally said, “Dad… I had no idea about what you’ve done out there.”
“It’s just the job,” I said.
“No,” he whispered. “It’s so much more.”
Here’s the truth:
This country isn’t held up by titles or corner offices. It’s held up by callused hands, tired feet, and people who show up in storms, in shutdowns, in the middle of the night when no one else can.
We’re not the backup plan.
We are the backbone.
So next time you ask a young person what they want to be, don’t just say, “Where are you going to college?”
Try asking, “What do you want to build? What do you want to keep running? What will you help carry?”
And if that kid says,
“I want to weld,”
“I want to fix engines,”
“I want to deliver supplies,”
“I want to drive trucks like my dad,”
look them in the eye and say:
“This country needs you. We’re counting on you.”
Credit – Mr.commonsense Weird World
Both of these stories identify life principles that bridge generations. And they’re particularly meaningful to disciples of Jesus Christ. All of us are getting older, and hopefully, we’re thinking seriously about our priorities. For those of us who are parents or grandparents, we can’t help reading much of Scripture without discovering a reinvigorated sense of purpose. We keep finding an ever-increasing treasury of what it means to leave behind us… a legacy of valuable resources that are worth conscientious and deliberate investment.
Find Your Greatest Life Purpose
Life’s greatest purpose is simple: to see our descendants in heaven. There’s no greater focus for the second half of life than that!
Psalm 78:5,6 gives us a guide for thinking this through. Put yourself into this line of God’s family. It says,
“…he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.” Psalm 78:5-7
Think about that. We need to intentionally be thinking of our place among these four generations, just like this verse mentions:
1 – ancestors … God’s command was directed to them – if we see our fathers or distant ancestors in this framework, whether they’re our physical or spiritual parents, we can’t help immediately realize how profoundly their beliefs, attitudes and behaviors have had an influence on us. Hopefully, each one of us can think of someone, even a God-honoring counselor or mentor who fits into this role for us as our ‘ancestor.’ And next comes their…
2 – children … that’s us, who produce the…
3 – next generation – even those not yet born … and lastly…
4 – their children, which translates to our grandchildren.
In other words, we ought to have a vision for perpetuating our faith in God and the wisdom of His ways… that reaches beyond our own children to at least two generations, many of whom may not yet be born.
If heaven is really eternal, as we believe it is, then having children, grandchildren, and the generations that are not yet born… joining us for eternity… really ought to be life’s greatest purpose. Imagine the heartbreak of being God in heaven, and seeing His children who are grandparents… filling their days with entertainment, work, hobbies, trips, recreation— superficially good things – but missing out on the best things.
The most concise grandparenting verse in the Bible is Deuteronomy 4:9
This Scriptural command establishes a foundational principle. It underscores the core responsibility of grandparents. And what’s that? It’s to pass on all the facets of vibrant faith across generations. Listen!
“Only be careful for yourself and watch over your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons…” Deuteronomy 4:9
The Amplified Bible puts it this way:
““Only pay attention and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your grandchildren [impressing these things on their mind and penetrating their heart with these truths].” Deut 4:9
Based on biblical wisdom, here are 7 principles grandparents should regularly convey to their grandchildren:
- Prioritize a Personal Relationship with God: Grandparents must model a life of faith, demonstrating that walking with God is a daily, joyful priority, not just a duty. You see it exemplified in Enoch, the father of Methuselah, the grandfather of Noah. Isn’t it noteworthy that Enoch walked with God (Gen 5:24) and Noah walked with God too (Gen 6:9)? Do you think there was a generational pattern here? This kind of intimate and faithful walking with God apparently didn’t just happen by chance. It’s the foundation of godly influence.
Psalm 128:1 states: “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!” This verse directly highlights the blessing that comes from walking in God’s ways.
You’ll find other key verses that emphasize the benefits of walking with God:
Psalm 34:8 encourages, Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” Walking with God brings firsthand experience of His goodness.
Deuteronomy 5:33 promises: “You shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you.”
Micah 6:8 summarizes God’s requirement: “to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God,” leading to a life aligned with divine purpose.
Psalm 16:11 reveals: “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand,” showing that walking with God brings lasting joy and eternal fulfillment.
- Teach the Generational Faith and History of God: Share personal stories of God’s faithfulness and the history of Biblical faith, as emphasized in Psalm 78:4. This includes taking the time to deliberately tell the next generation about God’s mighty acts and His providential care.
“We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.” Psalm 78:4
- Instill the Importance of Obedience and Wisdom: Teach the value of keeping God’s commandments and living wisely, as highlighted in Proverbs 13:22. A good life leaves a legacy of wisdom and character for future generations.
“If you love Me, keep My commandments … If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. John 14:15, 15:10
- Model and Teach Godly Character: Grandparents should not only set the example, but also make the time to mentor their grandchildren on virtues like self-control, purity, kindness, and faithfulness, as outlined in Titus 2:2-5. Their life should reflect the fruit of the Spirit.
“…which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” Gal 5:22-23
- Practice Unconditional Love and Support: Offer a safe, accepting place for grandchildren, free from the pressures of discipline, allowing them to find comfort and strength. This is a unique role of love and grace.
- Encourage and Bless: Speak words of affirmation and blessing over grandchildren, recognizing their value and potential. As seen with Jacob, a blessing carries significant spiritual weight and can shape a child’s destiny. Genesis 48:15-22; and Gen 49:1–27
- Pray Faithfully for Grandchildren: Regularly pray for their well-being, salvation, and future, trusting God to work in their lives. Prayer is a powerful spiritual tool that grandparents can wield daily.
When it comes to influencing our children and grandchildren to walk in the ways of God, two of the keystones of Christ’s kingdom are these.
The Golden Rule:
“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Matt 7:12
Esteeming others better than self
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Phil 2:3-4
