find rest

      Imagine caring so much today about other people that you rest for a while from caring about what they think of you.

“The heart’s fierce effort to protect itself from every slight, to shield its touchy honor from the bad opinion of friend and enemy, will never let the mind have rest. . . . Lord, . . . lay upon me [Your] easy yoke of self-forgetfulness that . . . I may find rest.” A. W. Tozer    

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am . . . humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29

do others good

      No matter how much you get done today, your heart won’t be satisfied unless you do others good along the way.     

“To desire to communicate good to every creature, in the degree we can, . . . is a divine temper[ament]; for thus God stands unchangeably disposed towards the whole creation.” William Law

“Do not forget to do good and share. . . .” Hebrews 13:16

a wise man

      When somebody gives you a little constructive criticism, does thank-you-very-much have a hard time competing with poor-me and what-about-you?

“Do not correct a scornful, proud man, lest he hate you. Correct a wise man, and he will love you.” Proverbs 9:8

“I want to keep walking away from the person I was a moment ago. . . .” Donald Miller

destroy an enemy

      Every time somebody is rude or inconsiderate and you choose not to give her the cold shoulder that she deserves, you destroy an enemy.

“Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” Abraham Lincoln

“Father, forgive them. . . .” Luke 23:34

born in God's thought

      If each person you meet today was born in God’s thought before she drew her first breath, then nobody is just another face in the crowd.

“[T]o have been . . . born in God’s thought, and then made by God, is the dearest, grandest, and most precious thing in all thinking.” George Macdonald

“You created my inmost being. You wove me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13

learning to rely

      Spend a day trying really hard to be good, and you’ll probably end up either fat-headed or discouraged by nightfall. Relief comes with learning to rely, one small step at a time.    

“What does God expect of us? To become experts in relying on Him.” Dr. James Houston

“And what does the Lord require of you? To . . . walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8