Gratitude changes your perspective about life. You see the future, experience the present, and remember the past in a dramatically different way.
We will never know peace if we lose the present because we are trapped in the past and paralyzed by the future.
But if you choose the way of the warrior, living a life of service, it will demand of you the best you have. You may not need to be great, but the world needs your greatness. Whatever God has placed within you that could ever be described as great was never meant for you, anyway. It’s a stewardship that has been given to you. Greatness never belongs to the one who carries it; it belongs to the world that needs it.
The warrior has peace of mind because they know that there is always a way to find light, even in the midst of the greatest darkness. They know that there is always hope to be found, even in despair. Peace can exist in the midst of turmoil only if you believe in the beauty of the future. Peace sees the beauty everywhere. When you walk in peace, you are overwhelmed by the wonder of the universe and the beauty of life.
Ownership is not about possession; it is about responsibility. What you own matters far less than what you take ownership for. What you take responsibility for is far more important than what you think you own.
To blame others is an act of cowardice. We blame in an attempt to hide our shame. This is not the way of the warrior. The warrior understands that to blame is not simply an abdication of responsibility but a relinquishing of power. You cannot change what you do not take responsibility for.
We do not see the world as it is; we see the world as we are. A heart filled with violence will never see a world filled with peace. You can bring hope only if you have found hope.
We all know the old adage about why an elephant with all its power can be held in place by a small rope and peg. This is because elephants remember when they were babies and did not have the strength to pull the peg out of the ground. In short, elephants remain captive because their memories lie to them. They tell them that their past is their future – that what they experienced before will always be the reality that is before them.
It is no small thing that Paul says that only with this new mind can you become a new you. So often the will of God is described as something to be received rather than something that must be perceived. Paul tells us that when our minds are renewed, it is then and only then that we are able to test and approve what the will of God is. When we see the world from this new mind, we will see that God’s intention for us is good and pleasing and perfect.
We cannot live unaffected by love. We are most alive when we find it, most devastated when we lose it, most empty when we give up on it, most inhumane when we betray it, and most passionate when we pursue it.
I don’t know what it means for others, but for a follower of Jesus Christ, what it means to live on the edge is to stand at the epicenter of where the kingdom of God confronts the kingdom of darkness. When evil raises its ugly head, taunting God and tormenting the weak, the adventurer rises up and moves toward the challenge. Like a guided missile, the adventurous spirit moves toward its greatest challenge.
Art exists to remind us that we have a soul, and all we need to be an artist is a soul.
Though we may create many beautiful works of art, the most important works of art to which we will ever give ourselves are the lives we live.
God’s will for us is less about our comfort than it is about our contribution. God.
I made a decision that while cancer may define how I die, it would not define how I live.
Genius is a gift we are given; mastery is the stewardship of our gifts.
The more you love God, the more deeply you care about life. The more deeply you care about people, the more deeply you are committed to making a difference in people’s lives.
To relive the past is to relinquish the future. If you are willing to let go of the past, then you are ready to step into the future. When you choose to remain stuck in a moment, you become incapable of seizing divine moments.
If you don’t take time away from the world around you, you’re going to get pulled down by the world around you.
The needs of the world are too big for us to be living such small lives.
We’ve got to stop pretending that faith makes life easier. Your faith makes you stronger. Your faith is not a way out sacrifice. It’s fuel to step into your pain and fear and failure.