[Matthew 7 – from The Message]
“If you look to find fault in others, it changes the whole paradigm to one of fault-finding and mutual disdain. You get smeared with your own negativity and you lose the opportunity for creative synergies. Open yourself to my transformation before you offer to transform others. Dirty hands can’t clean the glass.”
“Give the sacred its space, don’t try to bring it down . . . let it bring you up. You may think you can scrape away the crust of an ancient patina. Don’t remove it, honor the love it reflects. Then you can add your own.”
“When you bargain with God, you only cheat yourself. Love’s plan is always best. And, best you can, treat others in the way of love, as well.”
“There is no quick and easy formula for holiness. It takes discipline. It takes time. Patterns are not reshaped in a moment. The pull of the world is too strong to quickly shed. Your eyes have to learn to see. Your heart must learn the song by listening, often and long. Flashy preachers with all the right answers don’t know it. Putting on the form won’t work. These are houses built on sand. It takes longer to build with stone, but it will last.”
[photo by KUUNSTKUULTUR by cc 2.0]
Quiet Hope 