Each of us has a profound ripple effect on those around us. When you are happy, you raise the vibration around you. When you are resentful, you can drag down an entire party. How do you want to influence those around you?
Your vibration is energetically broadcast to those around you — and to your children. If you don’t want to get unstuck for yourself, do it for them.
— Christel Nani, Sacred Choices, p. 251
We get good vibes by giving them. Being around people who exude positive energy is stimulating and inspiring. They’re fun to be with because they have the power to uplift our spirits as they uplift their own. They invite us to actively participate in the infinite possibilities for living more radiantly. Someone with a good disposition, who is cheerful and looks on the bright side of life, generates lots of good energy.
— Alexandra Stoddard, Choosing Happiness, p. 50-51
Our children can see us. They can’t see God. Our function is not to describe God’s love or to talk endlessly about it, but to reflect it so that it can be seen.
— Hugh Prather, Spiritual Notes to Myself, p. 71
Ignoring the urgings of your spirit takes more effort than making changes in your life.
— Christel Nani, Sacred Choices, p. 249
The way to increase our energy is to find lots and lots of things to be enthusiastic about. Whether it is a clean house, a freshly stocked refrigerator, or a newly mowed lawn, there are opportunities everywhere for us to become excited and thoroughly enjoy what we choose to do.
— Alexandra Stoddard, Choosing Happiness, p. 49
Your teenager’s function is to “turn against” you. Don’t take this so personally. It’s the leaving-the-nest stage. You are the parent. Relax into your destiny. Your function is never to turn against your teenager.
— Hugh Prather, Spiritual Notes to Myself, p. 70
Even when you can’t see the results — though the situation may not clear up entirely or get any better at all — you can still know that you’ve done what God has required of you. You can continue to forgive as His grace and love flow through you. And you can walk in peace — His peace.
— Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Choosing Forgiveness, p. 100
We sometimes feel that, if we forgive someone, justice will not be served. They’ll get off scot-free. We’ll be doing little more than giving them permission to do wrong again, seeing how easily we let them get away with it this time.
From a human perspective, this makes sense. But our minds need to be renewed to think God’s way. According to God’s Word, wrongdoers will get their just due. But we’re not the ones responsible to mete out the penalty….
Letting the offender off your hook doesn’t mean he’s off God’s hook. Forgiveness releases the accused from your custody and turns him over to God — the righteous Judge — the one and only One who is both able and responsible for meting out justice.
And so what feels like the height of unfairness, what seems to be nothing more than giving our offender the pass, actually becomes for us a step of freedom….
But listen to Joseph’s response to his distraught brothers: “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?” (Genesis 50:19 NIV).
What wise, humble words! Am I in the place of God? Is it my job to make you pay for what you’ve done? Do I really want the added burden of this after all I’ve been through already? Isn’t it foolish to think that revenge could be as sweet as advertised — sweet enough to make up for the pain of all these years?
— Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Choosing Forgiveness, p. 92-94
While forgiveness is indeed costly, it is not beyond the means of those who have Christ’s life flowing within them. When God tells us to love our enemies, He also gives us the love to go along with the command.
Yes, you can do this… because He can do this….
And so because He has forgiven us — and because of His boundless life which now indwells us — what offense is too great for us to forgive?
— Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Choosing Forgiveness, p. 90-92
Instead of taking someone else’s word on what God wants us to do, what possible harm can come from taking God’s hand and simply asking?
— Hugh Prather, Spiritual Notes to Myself, p. 66