looking for good

      It’s easy to see somebody's faults and flaws. Looking for good (especially when it’s hard to find) is a lot richer and riskier.

“[My] enchained brother, . . . [my] disfigured, scarce recognizable sister. . . .” George Macdonald

“Be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge. . . .” Luke 6:36-37 

down to size

      The more you pay attention to a problem, the more it looks like a mountain. Paying attention to God (Who is already paying attention to the problem) brings it right back down to size.   

“Are you paying attention to what you’re paying attention to?” Dr. Curt Thompson

“Cause me to pay attention to Your unfailing lovingkindness. . . . Show me the way I should go, for I entrust my life to You. . . .” Psalm 143:8

see clearly

      If you have 20/20 vision when it comes to seeing what’s wrong somebody else, be very careful that you’re not missing something big when you look in the mirror.

“Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the log in your own eye? . . . You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly. . . .” Matthew 7:3, 5

Father, please open my eyes so that I can see clearly what’s wrong with me.

for the better

      As long as you can handle things on your own, part of you would probably rather not turn toward God. When troubles come, that usually changes for the better.

“[W]e are . . . half turned toward You, half rather not. . . .” Walter Brueggemann

“The troubles of my heart are enlarged. . . . My eyes are continually turned toward the Lord.” Psalm 25:17; 15 

in the process

      Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to figure out which path to take that we miss the simple, right-now joys of pleasing Him in the process.

“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. . . . But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You.” Thomas Merton

“May my thoughts and ponderings be pleasing to You.” Psalm 104:34

what is God like

      Somehow we’ve gotten the idea that our bad choices either don’t matter much to God or make him mad. But what if they make Him cry?

“When He approached Jerusalem, He . . . wept over it in pain and grief, saying, ‘If you had only known . . . what would bring you peace. . . .” Luke 19:41-42

“Before the Christian Church goes into eclipse anywhere, . . . she simply gets a wrong answer to the question ‘what is God like?’ and goes on from there.” A. W. Tozer