God’s Steadfast Love

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“Regardless of whether we feel strong or weak, we remember that our assurance is not based upon our ability to conjure up some special feeling.  Rather, it is built upon a confident assurance in the faithfulness of God.  We focus on his trustworthiness and especially on his steadfast love.”

–Richard J. Foster, Prayer:  Finding the Heart’s True Home, p. 212

Prayer of Healing

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“Second, we ask.  This is the step of faith.  As we come to clearness about what is needed, we invite God’s healing to come.  We speak a definite, straightforward declaration of what is to be.  We do not weaken our request with ifs, ands, or buts.”

–Richard J. Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home, p. 211

Core Value

Compassion, Inspiration 0

Affirmation of core value from Steven Stosny’s The Powerful Self:

I am worthy of respect, value, and compassion, whether or not I get them from others.  If I don’t get them from others, it is necessary to feel more worthy, not less.  It is necessary to affirm my own deep value as a unique person, a child of God.  I respect and value myself.  I have compassion for my hurt.  I have compassion for the hurt of others.  I trust myself to act in my best interests and in the best interests of loved ones.”

Lasting Love

Forgiveness, Inspiration, Love, Marriage 0

“There is a great deal of ‘how to’ literature about keeping love alive that can be distilled into two words:  persistent effort.  When we are held back, pushed aside, ignored, hurt, rejected, we must be like the heart that keeps beating even in the damaged body; we must persist.  If we are not prepared to be resilient in love, we need to be prepared for a short relationship!

“Nearly everyone is guilty of having thrown up their hands in despair over some seemingly loveless act or unsolvable problem in relating.  Every attempt at rectifying the situation seemed to push us into another dizzying failure until we finally lost the motivation, if not the reason, to try once more.

“Since we cannot live without love, we must rise up and try again.  It helps if we keep in mind that there are few obstacles that can resist perseverance, determination, patience, and most of all, more love.”

–Leo Buscaglia, Born for Love, p. 33

Disarming Defenses

Compassion, Inspiration 0

“Compassion disarms the defenses of others.  Compassion rarely stimulates anger in others, making hostile or destructive defenses unnecessary, thereby breaking the cycle of reciprocal and escalating aggression.  It is virtually impossible to sustain aggression in the face of compassionate behavior.”

— Steven Stosny, The Powerful Self, p. 30

Love is Greater

Forgiveness, Inspiration, Love 0

“But forgiveness means that this real and horrible offense shall not separate us.  Forgiveness means that we will no longer use the offense to drive a wedge between us, hurting and injuring one another.  Forgiveness means that the power of love that holds us together is greater than the power of the offense that separates us.  That is forgiveness.  In forgiveness we are releasing our offenders so that they are no longer bound to us.  In a very real sense we are freeing them to receive God’s grace.  We are also inviting our offenders back into the circle of fellowship.”

— Richard J. Foster, Prayer:  Finding the Heart’s True Home, p. 188

Never the Same

Forgiveness, God, Inspiration 0

“Forgiveness is not acting as if things are just the same as before the offense.  We must face the fact that things will never be the same.  By the grace of God they can be a thousand times better, but they will never again be the same.”

— Richard J. Foster, Prayer:  Finding the Heart’s True Home, p. 188