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First, we will see that we are all designed for goodness, and when we recognize that truth it makes all the difference in the world. Second, we are perfectly loved with a love that requires nothing of us, so we can stop “being good” and live into the goodness that is our essence. And third, God holds out an invitation to us—an invitation to turn away from the anxious striving that has turned stress into a status symbol. It is an invitation to wholeness that leads to flourishing for all of
Each kindness enhances the quality of life. Each cruelty diminishes it.
We are temples of the Holy Spirit. Not just our bodies but our very selves, the essence of our being, is the place in which the Spirit resides.
From the time before eternity our God has awaited each birth with love and delight.
The demon hidden behind the sense of purpose is a fear of not being good enough. It is the fear of not doing enough. That demon dread of not measuring up drains the joy from the work and saps the energy from the worker.
When done in joyful love, the most mundane tasks can be life-affirming. When driven by the demon, the most exhilarating work can be numbingly life-denying.
When failure defeats us and drives us to despair, it is because our efforts were aimed at proving ourselves worthy—when, in fact, we have nothing to prove.
Our goodness is our Eucharist. It is our thanksgiving for all that has been given to us.
We can always aspire to be more compassionate and more generous, not out of some dogged need to be good or to be lovable, but because to give love is our greatest joy.
Living our goodness is our way of testifying that we know ourselves to be perfectly loved by God.
Match your pace to mine,
Mandela chose to use his authority to damp the flames of bloody fury. He chose the long-term good of the country above the immediate satisfaction of demanding revenge.
Though wrong gratifies in the moment, good yields its gifts over a lifetime. Each time we choose good, we add to the human treasury of goodness.
When we are truly free we act out of the impulse to delight, not out of the fear of falling out of favor. When love is the motivation, the habit of choosing right becomes ingrained.
“Was it nice?” and “Was it necessary?”
“We spend so much time staring despairingly at the door that has just closed that we don’t notice that hope has opened a window.”
In the span of his life Ambrose Reeves failed. But each of his failures laid another paving stone on the path to a free South Africa.
It’s still more amazing how much we can accomplish when we can let go of the illusion of our own omniscience, let go of the accomplishment tally, and live a surrendered life.
You cannot un-choose your choice.
But the pain can be healed, Your choices can be redeemed, Your life can be blessed, And love can bring you home.
T’shuva (“returning”) is the Hebrew word in the Bible that describes finding our way back to goodness.
When we forgive, we reclaim memory: we remember that we are good; we remember how to be whole.
Then it doesn’t matter if we are successful in this moment, in our lifetime, or in our generation. It matters only that we are faithful.
The next time you are angry with your spouse or partner, ask yourself, “What am I afraid of?”
When we dare to name our fears, they shrink to a manageable size.
For Christians, finding our way home to God is not a “self-help” project. Jesus Christ is our hope for complete wholeness, for healing that is salvation. And that hope has already been accomplished.
It only matters that you are made for me, Made like me, Made for goodness.
