“Compassion does not just happen. Pity does, but compassion is not pity. It’s not a feeling. Compassion is a viewpoint, a way of life, a perspective, a habit that becomes a discipline—and more than anything else, compassion is a choice we make that love is more important than comfort or convenience.”—Glennon Doyle Melton
“Compassion can be defined in many ways, but its essence is a basic kindness, with a deep awareness of the suffering of oneself and of other living things, coupled with the wish and effort to relieve it.”—Paul Gilbert “Sympathy identifies with the problem, but compassion gets up, looks up, and says, ‘I need to do something about this.’”—Brian Houston “You can cultivate mercy when you extend acts of compassion and kindness to yourself and to other people.”—Bree Miller “Compassion is the tender opening of our hearts to pain and suffering.”—Ram Dass “Love involves compassion that leads to action.”--Tony Merida “Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.”—Henri J. M. Nouwen “Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering.”—Unknown “Compassion, as opposed to pity, allows us to see ourselves in others and tugs at the heart until we find a way to prevent or relieve the other’s suffering.”—Linda Barbosa
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Quote of the day:
“There are two ways to live your life: One is as though nothing is a miracle and the other is as though everything is a miracle.” -- Albert Einstein Think about it: You don’t need to look far to find negativity these days. Scroll the headlines or turn on your TV and you could quickly come to the conclusion that we live in a dark and angry place. But you can change that—both your belief about the world, and the world itself. Part of my purpose, I believe, involves contributing positively to the world. I want to be remembered for making a positive difference, therefore I strive to live that legacy now, every day, with every interaction. Do I always succeed? Probably not. But I hold this aim high and give it my best. If you could use a boost of positivity in your work and life, consider one of these ideas: 1.Surround yourself with positive people. Who in your life seems to glow with positivity? Who inspires, uplifts, and challenges you to up your game? Consciously build a network of people who motivate you to be your best, then spend ample time with them. Be that source of light for others, too. 2. Watch your vocabulary. I once heard that Mother Teresa declined participation in an anti-war rally. When asked why, she replied that she did not want to give any attention to war, but she’d gladly participate in a pro-peace rally. Pay attention to your words. They can help you heal relationships, mend broken hearts, reach astounding goals, and craft a beautiful vision for your work and life. 3. Infuse yourself with positivity. Putting poor quality gas in your car will not help it run at peak performance. Similarly, how you fuel yourself will determine your experience as well. Read inspiring books, download helpful podcasts, watch encouraging movies, and follow positive people on social media. Create a physical environment of positivity, too: post fun quotes on your bathroom mirror, or put a light-hearted comic on your office door, for example. 4. Focus on what you can control. So much is out of our hands, isn’t it? Focusing on that, however, can leave you feeling depleted and helpless. Determine what you can control, and put your energy there. For example, you can control your responses, actions, words, and thoughts; you can be the change you wish to see in the world. You have more power than you realize, and when you keep your focus there, that power expands. 5. Look for the good. Have you ever decided to purchase a certain kind of car, then suddenly you see that car everywhere? We tend to find what we focus on: If you believe things are awful, you’ll find evidence to support that belief; if you believe life is a gift, you’ll find evidence to support that. Look for positivity. 6. Examine your daily routine. How do you start your mornings? How do you close out each day? How might you bring positivity into the activities you do regularly? One of my friends uses her commute to send silent blessings to other drivers; another reflects on gratitude every evening as she brushes her teeth. Shine positivity into your already-established routines. 7. Choose to be positive. Like most things in life, positivity is a decision we can make in every moment. Set affirming boundaries in your work and life. Take action to support growth and joy. Begin the habit of pausing and thoughtfully choosing your response to situations rather than mindlessly reacting. 8. Think positively about the world. Perhaps most importantly, think positively about the world. Yes, negative events occur; people inflict harm, make poor choices, and cause pain. But this is also a beautiful world filled with promise, opportunity, kindness, generosity, and love. Take note of the random acts of kindness and how often they go viral. Pay attention to the small groups of people making significant positive change in their communities. Look for examples of helpfulness and contribution throughout the course of your days. Continue to feed that positive world—like Einstein said, living as though everything is a miracle—and watch life transform accordingly. Author Unknown
One clear winter's day, I decided to take a walk in the tiny Colorado wilderness town where I live. The sky was a shade of azure blue peculiar to the higher elevations of the Rockies. The early March sun poured like liquid gold through the limbs of tall spruce, creating dancing patterns of light in the delicate crystals of freshly fallen snow. Mountain peaks rose majestically in sculptured layers of greens and grays, piercing clouds that hung like fairy mist in the enchanted valleys below. Marching resolutely down the road, I was all but blind to the extraordinary beauty. Attempting to relax before driving down the mountain to undergo a breast biopsy at the local hospital, I was actually reviewing the endless menu of dire medical possibilities that might materialize. As my mind slid into well-worn patterns of awfulizing, it gathered momentum. Not only might my body be in mortal danger, but my life wasn't working so well in other ways either. Not only did the glass seem half empty, but the remaining water appeared downright polluted! My youngest son, although nearly 22, was terribly upset by the recent separation of my husband of nearly 24 years and myself. My fault, of course. I felt overworked and burned out. Also my fault. What kind of crazy life had I managed to create--especially when I am supposed to be some kind of role model for others? Guilt, fear, anger, and disappointment joined the cacophony of inner voices accompanying me down the road on my attempt at a relaxing walk. I was rudely awakened from my toxic reverie by a searing pain in my hindquarters. Perfectly focused on my well-rehearsed mental movies, I had been completely unaware of the speedy approach of a large German shepherd who bounded up and bit me unceremoniously on the behind. My mental movie department immediately began to run a feature film starring my bare buttocks being sutured in the Boulder Community Hospital emergency room, while I was simultaneously being injected with huge doses of tetanus and rabies vaccine. I would, no doubt, miss my biopsy and have to undergo that second round of medical torture on another day. I reached down into my pants expecting to encounter a sticky mass of blood. Strangely, my hand emerged perfectly clean. Energized by sudden hope, I slipped behind a bush and pulled my pants down. While a large red welt, framed by the impression of a perfect set of canine teeth, graced my derriere, the skin was magically unbroken. With a yelp of joy, I pulled up my pants and burst from the bushes with a whoop of gratitude. No emergency room. No tetanus shots. No slow death from rabies. I could get to the biopsy on time. Lucky me. Suddenly, the entire scene seemed hilariously funny. The dog was transformed from a nasty cur to a divine messenger. “Wake up, you silly human! Feel the sun on your face and the wind in your hair. You are alive, and the world is beautiful. The mountains are alive, and the day is young. There are endless possibilities to experience.” I suddenly found myself overwhelmed with gratitude for the gift of life. Every breath was precious. Every step was a miracle. Peace settled around me like a down quilt, and I felt held by unseen arms. Gratitude is like a gearshift that can move our mental mechanism from obsession to peacefulness, from stuckness to creativity, from fear to love. Thank God the German shepherd didn't break the skin. Thank God the breast biopsy was negative. Thank God I am healthy and able to remember--at least from time to time--that gratitude is the key to peace, joy, and creative choice. May you also be blessed with the gift of remembering. Take a moment tonight, before you go to bed, and give thanks for five things in your life that don't need healing. Throughout the day, when you find yourself stuck in awfulizing about the things that seem wrong, remember to say a prayer of gratitude for all the things that are right. Negative emotions like loneliness, envy, and guilt have an important role to play in a happy life; they’re big, flashing signs that something needs to change. —Gretchen Rubin
We have all known the long loneliness, and we have found that the answer is community.—Dorothy Day Loneliness expresses the pain of being alone and solitude expresses the glory of being alone.—Paul Tillich Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty. —Mother Teresa Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.—Maya Angelou The hardest walk is walking alone, but it’s also the walk that makes you the strongest.—Unknown The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone.—Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe Only through our connectedness to others can we really know and enhance the self. And only through working on the self can we begin to enhance our connectedness.—Harriet Goldhor Lerner Many people need desperately to receive this message: ‘I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people don’t care about them. You are not alone. —Kurt Vonnegut A season of loneliness and isolation is when the caterpillar gets its wings. Remember that next time you feel alone.—Mandy Hale Quote of the day:
I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay… small acts of kindness and love. —J.R.R. Tolkien Think about it: By Anna, Croatia Who doesn’t enjoy playing or watching a good game!? People all over the world love it! It must be something embedded in our DNA, as children start very early to discover the fun and excitement of playing games together. One common element of playing games is usually the spirit of competition, which, if handled properly, can serve an educational purpose. (At the same time, however, being overly competitive can lead to violence and, if taken to the extreme, even to war.) So, how about playing a game where you compete only with yourself and do some good in the process? How about playing The Game of Hearts? How fun would that be? And what is The Game of Hearts all about? Before going any further, I’ll give you a bit of background. Some of it is painful history. Last year, my daughter Jennie, who at the time was still living with me and helping with my NGO, entered into stage-four breast cancer with painful metastasis of the bones. It was a long, cold winter. We were snowed in a few times with white snow, which I usually adore, but this time it was different. A new pain was gripping the air, with its tentacles spreading. I knew cancer had come back and had violently started taking my daughter’s life. It was threatening to also take mine, by inflicting depressed and hopeless thoughts on me, night after night. It was a battle royal! I started hating that white snow, that black-and-white view, the freezing air, and was yearning for some warm rays of sunshine to break through that gloom. And some sunshine came, in an unexpected way. During this time, I was corresponding with Alex, a friend I met during the Civil March for Aleppo. I casually mentioned that while on a train I was going to talk to somebody, “because it feels good to show some love to a perfect stranger.” “Is that the love game? Whoever spreads more love wins? Let’s play it!” Alex replied. And so we did. And we began writing to each other to share stories of random people we had met and somehow connected with, simply smiled at, or helped. In spite of the fact that people could say that my life is already full of giving, this was something different. It was an out-of-the-box giving. And besides doing some good for others, it helped me keep my sanity during a very difficult time in my life, as it forced me to look for opportunities and exciting new stories that I could share with Alex. Then one day we talked about how it would be great to get more people to play this game, and since our winter camp was approaching, we thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to try it out with a bigger team. Alex, with Sydney’s help, a longtime friend who was visiting from the States, came up with an actual Bingo-like board that would present the basis of The Game of Hearts, as we had started calling it by then. We met on January 2 in the morning to describe the game to all the curious attendants, especially the philosophy behind what we coined SALs, or “Small Acts of Love.” We then divided into two groups: those who spoke English and those who spoke Italian. The English-speaking group included Gabe, from Romania, who is deaf and who needs sign language translation. ach group discussed:
We tried to make three balanced teams and have Filip spend time videoing each one of them. We all had our personal game boards, and the idea was to score five points. Needless to say, everyone had a great time and was very creative in their individual and collective giving. Time just flew, and when we met that evening to share how it went, people had plenty of stories to tell! Smiles, hugs, flowers given, garbage picked up, and songs sung. It was an afternoon dedicated to experimenting with the best game ever. That afternoon, downtown Rijeka surely experienced a powerful flood of love! By Li Lian
While on a mission trip, I was speaking with someone who was sharing with me some of the troubling issues he regularly faces in his workplace and neighborhood. He specifically bemoaned the fact that whenever he attempted to enact positive change in his environment, his efforts were met with a wall of resistance. Time and again, he tried to point his peers in the right direction, toward spiritual and godly values, but found that many of them were too absorbed in their own personal pursuit of pleasure, power, position, possessions, and popularity to pay any attention to what he was saying. He had reached the point where he felt that it was futile to continue attempting to guide others toward the path of discipleship. After hearing that some of the people he knew had gotten involved in unethical business deals, resulting in major profits for themselves, he started to wonder what the benefit was of standing up for his convictions when everyone around him was only looking out for themselves and their own wallets. After listening to him for some time, I brought up a story that he was familiar with, about a woman who used to live close to the town where he was born: Mary Slessor. I explained that when Mary first arrived at her mission post in Calabar, on the coast of West Africa, she too faced enormous challenges. The culture of the land at that time was immersed in drunkenness, superstition, tribal wars, cannibalism, human sacrifice, and witchcraft. One of the most abhorrent practices that Mary learned about was the systematic killings of twin babies. The belief system behind it was superstitious. Having two babies is not a normal occurrence; therefore, one of the babies must not be from the father but from a demon. As it is not certain which baby is from the father and which is from the demon, both should be killed to ensure no evil would come to the family. In many cases, the mother was also banished to the jungle, accused of being the guilty party in the whole affair. Mary was horrified by such a practice. And she was horrified enough to do something about it. Her resolution was simple. In her own words: “Those people … need to change their ways. I’d better go up there and talk to them.” At first, she often met with resistance. Many village elders worried that if twins were allowed to live, it would bring a terrible curse on their village. When she tried to reason with them, sometimes they wouldn’t listen or were too drunk or too engrossed in their local tribal wars and violent quarrels to pay any attention to her message. Despite the challenges she faced, she resolutely continued her work and didn’t hesitate to correct the wrongs that she witnessed on a daily basis, even at the risk of her own life. It was her steadfast character that proved to the local people that she was serious about her mission and purpose, and eventually she earned their respect and was often called on to help settle disputes. When she adopted a set of unwanted twins (and later many other abandoned children), the indigenous people came to realize that what she taught was true, and eventually forsook their old harmful customs. It was through her example that the locals came to understand the true value of human life and that babies (twins included) are a special gift from God. Now, over 100 years later, the effect is remarkable. Throughout Nigeria, having twins is considered a blessing. It is not uncommon to hear of newly married women asking for prayer to have twins. I know a Nigerian mother who has had twins, and they are considered the highlight of their family. To think about what would have happened to them had they been born 100 years earlier gives pause for reflection. This dramatic change of culture was directly caused by one woman, whose persistent effort to stand up for what was right created a lasting, long-term impact, affecting the lives of thousands. Think about it. It would seem logically impossible for one woman to change a culture for good, but she did. There are so many generations of twins alive today throughout Nigeria who are forever grateful for the positive action of one woman. It is tough to do what is different from the mainstream, but it is sticking to our beliefs and conviction to do what is right that makes a lasting impact on the world. And who knows, down the line, whose lives and souls will be saved because of our actions. “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.”—Saint Augustine
“If you aim for only wealth, beauty, fame and power, you aim too low. Humility, gentleness, gratitude, and service is aiming high.”—Lecrae “Humility saves man: pride makes him lose his way.”—Pope Francis “Humility will open more doors than arrogance ever will.”—Zig Ziglar “Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues.”—Confucius “If you plan to build a tall house of virtues, you must first lay deep foundations of humility.”—St. Augustine “Every person that you meet knows something you don’t; learn from them.”—Unknown “The essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself, or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.”—Timothy Keller “Be not proud of race, face, place, or grace.”—Charles Spurgeon “If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means that you are very conceited indeed.”—C. S. Lewis “Humility is the foundation of all other virtues; hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.”—Saint Augustine “Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending.”—Saint Augustine “Humility is royalty without a crown.”—Spencer W. Kimball Quote of the day:
Gratitude is a decision of the will, and if a decision of the will, the choice resides squarely with us. Deciding to be thankful is no easy task. It takes work. — Chuck Swindoll Think about it: In a video clip I watched on YouTube some time ago, one of the participants in a panel was talking about a trying time in her life that had led to serious depression. A friend advised her to put together a list of 1,000 reasons for gratitude, so she started keeping track of the good things that came across her path each day, and slowly the tide of negativity turned. I often thought of this video clip but never ventured into the task of keeping such a complex gratitude list myself until recently, when a personal loss was followed by poor health and a big unwelcome change in my work environment. These setbacks caught me by surprise, and as I stood in front of the proverbial overturned apple cart, watching my carefully collected apples roll all over the place, I couldn’t help but feel utterly dismayed. Like dark clouds forecasting an approaching storm, I soon felt the wind of depression blowing about me. I knew that I had to do something about this negative force that was entering my life. That’s when I remembered the 1,000 reasons for gratitude and how rediscovering the power of positivity had pulled this person out of depression. I figured it was worth the effort to see if I could get the same benefits for myself. The next day, with pen in hand, I sat in front of an empty page of my brand-new journal. Soon, a number of simple reasons for gratitude popped into my mind: 1. Sunshine when the weather forecast promised rain 2. A night of undisturbed sleep 3. Half an hour of early-morning prayer time 4. An email with good news from a friend… As I continued writing, I realized that there was a lot of gratitude to be found in the little things that could easily be taken for granted or go unnoticed. Like diamonds in the rough, they had to be dug out of the mud of my negative mindset. I did manage to keep up my list, and now, 1,000 reasons for gratitude later, I can truly say that this short daily exercise helped me to look up when feeling down and focus more on what does work out instead of quickly putting a negative spin on any situation. As I look back over the pages of my journal, I see it as a treasure chest full of God’s gifts, answers to prayers, and proofs of His love and care for me. Even better, I’m sure there will continue to be many reasons for future journals to be filled. -- By Iris Richard The Benedictine motto of ora et labora, which means prayer and work, can certainly be applied to cheese making. Sister Noella gives inspirational presentations where she likens cheese making to her spiritual life. True, part of developing our spiritual nature is praying and studying the Scripture, but it is also getting our hands dirty and serving others as stewards of the earth, as we cultivate a part of God’s creation. Sister Noella says that there is beauty and art in homemade cheese that gives it its soul, something that is lost in the industrialized cheese-making process.
Jesus often told parables using things found in His environment, so I suspect He would have something to say about the art of cheese making—a transformative process that takes liquid cow’s milk to cheese. First the milk must be fresh and of good quality. So, too, we need to hear from heaven fresh each day. The milk is then heated. We also are put on the fire of affliction and testing to heat things up. So, if things seem to be getting hot for you, wait till the Master cheese maker begins to work His magic. He is just getting started. “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10). Often an acid, like lemon juice or vinegar, is added, which curdles the milk. Some things come into our life that seem like downers; they cramp our style and start to do things to and with us that we weren’t planning on. But there is a plan in everything that comes our way, which is working for us a far greater purpose than we know. Next a bacteria is needed for the cheese, which, for example, could be taken from the lining of a veal calf’s stomach, or it could be a fungus scraped off a cave. (In Sister Noella’s case, the cave where they harvested the fungus was where St. Benedict prayed.) This coagulant interacts with the milk to magically change it. The milk is drained through a colander and the liquid whey goes down the drain, while the curds remain. There has to be a separation process in our lives where we separate the meaningful from the useless. The extraneous trappings of life have to go, so the meaningful essence of life can remain. Just as the cheese has to ripen and mature, so do we. It takes time to deliver a baby or a nation, or for a bud to blossom, or for a fruit to ripen. We can all be thankful that we are not who we once were, and our experiences have made us wiser for it. We truly do live and learn. And after this whole glorious process is complete, it’s time to celebrate and sit down and enjoy. When we come to the end of life’s trials, when we graduate from earth’s School of Hard Knocks, we will truly “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8), as we sit down with all the saints gone by at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. What a day of rejoicing that will be! “Hey, Abraham, please pass the cheese.” “And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 8:11). “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”—William Arthur Ward
“Thankfulness creates gratitude which generates contentment that causes peace.”—Todd Stocker “Gratitude is one of the most powerful human emotions. Once expressed, it changes attitude, brightens outlook, and broadens our perspective.”—Germany Kent “When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”—G. K. Chesterton “I may not be where I want to be but I’m thankful for not being where I used to be.”—Habeeb Akande “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero “God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one of them to say thank you?”—William Arthur Ward “Everyone enjoys being acknowledged and appreciated. Sometimes even the simplest act of gratitude can change someone’s entire day. Take the time to recognize and value the people around you and appreciate those who make a difference in your lives.”—Roy T. Bennett “Gratitude is a decision of the will, and if a decision of the will, the choice resides squarely with us. Deciding to be thankful is no easy task. It takes work.”—Chuck Swindoll “Genuine thankfulness is an act of the heart’s affections, not an act of the lips’ muscles.”—John Piper “In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.”—Dietrich Bonhoeffer “I see the glass half full and thank God for what I have.”—Ana Monnar “Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it.”—A. W. Tozer “Gratitude always comes into play; research shows that people are happier if they are grateful for the positive things in their lives, rather than worrying about what might be missing.”—Dan Buettner “Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have.”—Sanchita Pandey “Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue what you want.”—Roy Bennett “Gratitude produces deep, abiding joy because we know that God is working in us, even through difficulties.”—Charles Stanley |
AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
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