“Of course laws will not eliminate prejudice from the hearts of human beings. But that is no reason to allow prejudice to continue to be enshrined in our laws – to perpetuate injustice through inaction.”

Just because it’s written doesn’t make it happen. People make it happen.

“We are a people in a quandary about the present. We are a people in search of our future. We are a people in search of a national community. We are a people trying not only to solve the problems of the present, unemployment, inflation, but we are attempting on a larger scale to fulfill the promise of America. We are attempting to fulfill our national purpose, to create and sustain a society in which all of us are equal.”

Each of us is created with a purpose so that we may live a purposeful life.

“There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls.”

The genuine within each of us is a specially designed gift of the creator, intended to be shared, a salt that flavors the earth, a beam of light that shines to help others to see that God is good all the time. Don’t hide it. Don’t give it away. Stay true to the God in you and walk your path and not the steps of another.

“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living,”

We don’t do our selves any favors by diminishing our own light. Be the salt of the earth and season the it with the spirit of love.

While it is a worthy goal, compassion is sometimes misunderstood and often difficult to put in to daily practice. When greeting, in some African cultures they might say something like, “Good morning, How are we?” It’s a way of fully receiving the joy and the pain of the other. Thank you God for in you compassion is fundamental in your relationship with us. Help us to see compassion as essential to our relationships with one another.

It was New Years Eve. I was discouraged and frustrated. The one person who I know loved me more than anything tried to get me to see from another point of view but I was too focused on myself and I responded harshly. Two months later she became ill and four months later she died. I never got the chance to say I’m sorry and she never got the chance to forgive me. I know that she would have forgiven me because that’s the kind of person she was. “None of us actually ever knows when it is going to be that moment when something quite crucial might in fact be going to happen…” Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Whatever it takes, shorten your path to happiness – let go, forgive and be forgiven.

“We are meant to live in joy. This does not mean that life will be easy or painless. It means that we can turn our faces to the wind and accept that this is the storm we must pass through. We cannot succeed by denying what exists. The acceptance of reality is the only place from which change can begin.”  Archbishop Desmond Tutu

I’ve often found myself often looking for a change in life especially during long stretches of difficult and or uncertain times. Is it perhaps my difficulty in seeing the change is because I’ve not fully accepted the reality of the situation? I so desperately want the situation to be different. The reality is that it’s not happening. If a situation can be remedied, there is no need to be unhappy about its current state. It will change. If the situation can not be fixed or changed, why worry about it? It is what it is! If a situation can’t be fixed or changed we owe it to ourselves to create a new situation. It’s far easier to step into the moment of today, when we are not fixated on what has or has not happened, or what we cannot change.

The Will of God… Helen read the words again. She knew they were true. But still, fear lapped at her heart, threatening to engulf it. Have you ever felt like that, struggling to trust God’s goodness in the face of a possible loss – the loss of something or someone you treasure? Have you ever wondered if God’s will might somehow take you where no one has gone before – to a place where God’s grace cannot keep you? If so you are not alone. Loss and fear of loss can plant the seeds of doubt in the most faithful of hearts. Perhaps you are experiencing that right now, even as you read this. If so, remember; facts and feelings are not the same thing. No matter what happens – no matter what! – God’s promises are true. God’s sustaining grace is real.

Jane L. Fryar

I wasn’t sure I was going to render a thought today. I’ve learned not to sweat the times when I don’t expound on something. As I was preparing for the the next day I picked a small 33 day devotional that had this passage which spoke so clearly to my heart. I knew I needed to share. I hope it encourages someone else as well.

Derived from the Latin word humus, meaning earth or soil, humility is that unspoken quality within an individual that is experienced by others. We say of such an individual, “That person is so down to earth.” It is from the earth that growth takes place. So to be down to earth means that we are always growing. Growth involves taking in various nutrients that life has to offer. Therefore, humility is a necessity of living. It doesn’t mean that we neglect to use our own gifts. On the contrary our gifts have purpose. It’s what we bring to the table. Humility is what allows us to be fed and experience the gifts of others when we sit down to eat.