“Redemption” involves the coupling of two basic ideas: deliverance and restoration. To have failed and then to experience redemption is to be given one’s life back. It is to be “bought back” from the sentence of death by someone else’s grace.
Greatness of human character lies not so much in the skill to do hard things as in the discipline to do easy things. If we miss the good life, it won’t be for lack of intelligence or ability, but for failure to take the steps we could have taken.
Ships need anchorage, and it’s even more important, in a figurative sense, for people to find places where they can be anchored. The kind of anchorage we need most often is the safety and security of a relationship in which there is trust.
It’s a curious fact that we may be feeling quite mirthful but no one could tell it by looking at our faces. I suggest that it’s a healthy exercise to let physical laughter break out from inside us more often. It’s too good to keep bottled up!
For gladness to occur, some “great” event doesn’t have to transpire. Small things can provide great gladness, often better than large ones, and there aren’t many days when we don’t have numerous chances to give and to enjoy commonplace gladness.
There is much grace to be found in the world. Whether we show a healthy measure of urgency in our hearts probably depends on how we see life. The most delightfully urgent people I know happen to be people whose basic response to life is “Yes!”
Our English word “winsome” comes from the Old English “wynn,” which simply meant “joy.” When we say that a friend has a “winning” smile, we don’t just mean that their facial expressions can win us over but that their goodness gives us great joy.
Our lives in this world have to be “crafted,” and we are each “building” something that will eventually be finished. Whether the finished product will be one we can feel good about depends on how constantly we improve our craftsmanship.
The main ingredient necessary for the spirit of camaraderie is a common vision or purpose. To be bound together beneficially, a group must have a goal that is not only held in common but is also felt to be extremely important by the entire group.
If we nurture them in healthy ways, our imaginations can be among our best friends. And they’ll not only entertain us; they’ll teach us. As folks who are both thoughtful and imaginative, we’ll learn a lot more than we could with either tool alone.
