pet peeves

      Sometimes pet peeves are invitations to take a good look inside.

“The things that bother us most about others – our pet peeves – also point toward falsity in our own self. The speck that bothers me in the life of someone else is almost always the log in my own eye.” David Benner

“Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” Matthew 7:3

hurry and impatience

      Imagine outgrowing hurry and impatience.

“On every level of life, from housework to heights of prayer, . . . hurry and impatience are sure marks of the amateur.” Evelyn Underhill

“[L]et God transform you. . . .” Romans 12:2

wounded

      When you start to let the wounded parts of you come out into the light, you start to see God differently, too.

“[I]n God’s deep compassion, [He] enters like a grieving mother into loving conversation with those who know themselves as wounded. . . .” Belden C. Lane

“Our God is full of compassion.” Psalm 116:5

 

maybe peace

      Maybe peace is a gift for right now instead of something to enjoy as soon as things change.

“To dwell in shalom (peace) is to enjoy living before God, to enjoy living in one’s physical surroundings, to enjoy living with one’s fellows, to enjoy life with oneself.” Nicholas Wolterstorff (parenthetical added)

“May the Lord give you His shalom (peace).” Numbers 6:26

the real you

      The more not-so-sure replaces sure, the easier it is to relax and enjoy being the real you.

“The bad thing about falling into pieces is that it hurts. The good thing about it is that once you're lying there in shards you've got nothing left to protect, and so have no reason not to be honest.” David James Duncan

“I am like a small child. I do not know how to go out or come in.” 1 Kings 3:6

 

 

a day off

      If you’re in the habit of watching yourself and judging, you might want to give yourself a day off.

“Do not judge. . . .” Luke 6:37

"There is the great lesson of 'Beauty and the Beast,' that a thing must be loved before it is lovable." G. K. Chesterton