Our lives are made up of moments, or “instants,” and when we use these well, we honor them. Acting with integrity in each moment of choice, we express appreciation for the gift of life — and we show that there are things worth pursuing.
We need to appreciate the extent to which other people have provided rest and refuge for us. There aren’t many of us who’re not indebted to friends who’ve given us shelter in the midst of some storm, sometimes at significant personal sacrifice.
In whatever relationships we find ourselves, our goal always ought to be to give subordination a good name, rather than a bad one. Doing that requires hard work, and it requires more strength and self-discipline than many of us have right now.
Just as unmaintained spaces become chaotic and uninviting, so do our lifestyles when we default on “housekeeping” chores. It doesn’t take long for the chaos to creep in. So what about your manner of life? Is it overdue for some serious reordering?
Of all the things any of us can build, none is more beautiful, or important, than love. Even if in the past we’ve torn down more than we’ve built up, today can be well spent if we build a bigger love in our hearts than has ever been there before.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. We should accept responsibility for the fact that, too often, we men have created the present situation by our failures in the past, and rather than resent today’s challenge, we should rise to meet it.
We tend to neglect the facts, stories, objects, and images that have gone into our personal history. We don’t study these as we should. If we did, we’d have a better understanding of who we are — and a better grasp of what our role is in the world.
When we make allowance for others, we’re willing to give them the benefit of any doubt, both as to what happened and why. Until the facts make it impossible for us to maintain a more positive view, we put the best interpretation on the facts.
There’s little unexplored territory left in the world. But most of us would have left a great deal of territory unexplored “in here,” inside our very selves. This is valuable territory, and its exploration yields rich treasures and rare delights.
No one who approaches us is perfect, and no one approaches us in a perfect manner. But have we forgotten our own need for grace? The last time we needed to approach someone, have we forgotten how glad we were that they showed us compassion?
