Sunday July 19, 2015

Life is like a camera. You focus on what's important, capture the good times, develop from the negative, and if things don't work out - you take another shot. May you be blessed with a keen eye, a strong sense of perspective, and an understanding of the importance of balance.

I don’t ask for an easy life. The one I have works for me. I'm fine. More than that. I'm refined. Your love, Holy One, smooths out my rough edges when life gets tough. I can manage the load I carry because You make it lighter with goodness and grace. You show me mercy and I thank You.

Imagine two people, who spend their lives transporting stones. One carries bags of diamonds. The other hauls sacks of rocks. Each is now asked to take a consignment of rubies. Which of the two understands what he is now to carry?

The man who is used to diamonds knows that stones can be precious, even those that are not diamonds. But the man who has carried only rocks thinks the stones are a mere burden. They have weight but not worth. Rubies are beyond his comprehension.

So it is with faith. If you cherish your own, then you will understand the value of others. You may regard yours as a diamond and another faith as a ruby, but you know that both are precious stones.True tolerance comes not from the absence of faith but from its living presence.