A Paradox
“God works against evil and suffering. But God, in immense divine power and inscrutable divine wisdom, also works through evil and suffering.”
–Miroslav Volf, Free of Charge:Â Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace, p. 30
Many Opportunities
“No matter how different the rest of our challenges may be, every believer can count on a multitude of challenges to forgive. Remember, God’s primary agenda in the life of a believer is to conform the child into the likeness of his Son, Jesus Christ. No other word sums up His character in relationship to us like the word forgiving. We never look more like Christ than when we forgive; since that’s God’s goal, we’re destined for plenty of opportunities!”
–Beth Moore, Praying God’s Word, p. 219
God’s Steadfast Love
“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:Â Finding the Heart’s True Home, p. 212
Prayer of Healing
“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
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
“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
Perfectionism
“When we relinquish the neurotic need to be perfect, we are freed of the pressures of sainthood and can learn from our mistakes instead of being destroyed by them.”
— Leo Buscaglia, Born for Love, p. 32
Disarming Defenses
“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
Never Really “Over”
“There is a natural movement to loving, as well. It does not begin and end any more than it remains fixed at one point in our lives. It is continuous and ever expanding, finding abundant expression in new experiences, while living forever in warm memories.”
— Leo Buscaglia, Born for Love, p. 24
Validating Emotions, not Opinions
“You can disagree completely and still have compassion for one another.”
–Steven Stosny, The Powerful Self, p. 30