be not afraid

      When you remember that your only job is to be as true as you can at each particular moment, it takes the pressure off.  

“I never ask myself what the result of any action will be – that is God’s concern. The only question . . . is: what should I do at this particular moment? . . . [B]e at every single moment as true as you can with all the power of your being . . . and then leave it to God. . . .” Anthony Bloom

“Be not afraid.” John 6:20 

sing and dance

      Sometimes bad things turn out to be really good things.

“[M]ay all your plans be thwarted . . . that you may experience the powerlessness and poverty of a child and sing and dance in the love of God. . . .” Larry Hein

“Lord, . . . You have turned my mourning into dancing . . . and clothed me with gladness that my soul might sing. . . .” Psalm 30:10-12

a well-watered garden

      Some people make you thirsty in the best of ways.

“He excelled at creating space for others. . . . He did it by maintaining a quiet, still center. This stillness emanated from him. . . . It allowed him to temporarily share the special garden that was his soul. . . .” David Benner (of Dr. Paul Tournier)

“And their life will be like a well-watered garden.” Jeremiah 31:12

more alive

      What if every day you found yourself a little more alive than you were the day before?

“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” Vincent van Gogh

“God . . . who enlivens and arouses and invigorates. . . .” Romans 4:17

less than perfect

      When you see somebody (in the mirror or elsewhere) who is a little less than perfect, it helps to remember that she needs a doctor, not a judge.

“Lord, the one You love is sick.” John 11:3 

“The handicaps of some are more visible; [in] others, they are hidden: their fear, . . . their self-satisfaction, their inability to listen. . . .” Jean Vanier

but not His heart

      No matter how forgotten you feel, you’re not. It’s impossible.

“Away despair! my gracious Lord doth . . . steer, ev’n when the boat seems most to reel. . . . Well may He close His eyes, but not His heart.” George Herbert

“A fierce storm came up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink it. Jesus was in the stern sleeping. . . .” Mark 4:37-38