Inspiration For Troubled Times

The phrase "random kindness and senseless acts of beauty" was written by Anne Herbert on a placemat in Sausalito, California in 1982 according to Wikipedia. The phrase was in reaction to another phrase "random acts of violence and senseless acts of cruelty." She later went on to write a book about it and as a result many groups and individuals chose to follow paths of kindness for no other reason than to bless others. Let's be kind today.

Philippa Gregory said that "the art happiness is being content with what you have." We do not need to pursue wealth to be happy. Our joy is in the Lord. As we rely on Him we will use our gifts, talents, and finances to help others, laying up our treasures in Heaven.

Life seems a little too much sometimes. We seem overwhelmed and powerless to make change. If we could only work harder, study more, gain more skills, out run the demons chasing us...is never the answer! God wants us to trust in Him and lay our burdens down and let Him carry them for us. Abide in Him.

God asks us to abide in Him. It is a relationship. No one wants to be called on only when something is needed from them. Nurture this relationship. Talk to Him. Praise Him. Thank Him. Lay your burdens down before Him. Trust in His timing and His unfailing love.

"When people are mistreated because of their economic level, race, age, gender, or any other reason, God calls us to speak up on their behalf. When we see true injustice, God asks us to open our mouths and defend those who need help defending themselves." Melissa Spoelstra

When we encounter conflicting opinions about gospel truths, it is important to remember that God is not the author of confusion but of peace.

"We are not sinless saints; we are saints who sin. It's important to keep honest account of our failures and pick up our cross daily. When we become aware of a discrepancy between our identity in Christ and our behavior, we must confess it and deal with it." Neil T. Anderson

"Spending time alone with [God] is essential for [our] well-being. It is not a luxury or an option; it is a necessity." Sarah Young

Our identity is in Christ. We are each unique. "Even the very hairs on your head are numbered" (Luke 12:7). However, we are to be united in our common interest to love God with all our hearts, our minds, and our souls, and to love everyone else as we love ourselves. We won't compromise on the message of the cross, Jesus crucified and risen, His blood as a propitiation for our sins...but there are lesser hills that we don't need to die on. Let's be united in love.

Oswald Chambers wrote, "Seeing is never believing. We interpret what we see in the light of what we believe."

"Though God calls us to honor our leaders, we must not idolize them. They are humans who sin just as we do. We must be careful not to magnify the messenger and miss the message." Melissa Spoelstra

Feelings are not accurate measures of the rightness or wrongness of an action. Don't let your feelings deceive you into thinking life is too hard or too scary, or that you're all alone.