Tag Archives: fulfillment

The magical mustard seed

Posted on April 29, 2016 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s an old Chinese story about a woman whose only son had died. She went to a holy man and asked him for something that would bring her son back. But instead, the wise old man told her to bring … Continue reading →

Posted in Compassion, Grief, Healing, Selflessness, Sorrow | Tagged | Leave a comment

The happiness that makes life complete

Posted on January 22, 2016 by vincentsmithauthor

The ancient Greeks used to call the island of Cyprus: ‘the Blessed Isle.’ They considered everything about it to be ideal, its climate, fertility, its beauty, the taste of its wine and so on. They believed Cyprus had everything in … Continue reading →

Posted in Blessedness, Faith, Happiness, Spiritual blessing, Spirituality | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Priceless gifts

Posted on December 23, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Oseola McCarty was an African-American woman who earned a living by washing and ironing other people’s clothes. She never married and had to leave school early to help support her family. She never owned a car and worked every day … Continue reading →

Posted in Giving, God's pleasure, Good deeds, Goodness, Sacrifice | Tagged | Leave a comment

Seeing things in their true perspective

Posted on December 20, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

In the wake of the Global Economic Crisis, USA Today ran an article entitled Bubble burst: Views on sour economy. It reported that nearly half of the people surveyed believed the recession was a payback for society’s overindulging, and that … Continue reading →

Posted in Abundant life, Materialism, Meaninglessness, Treasure in Heaven | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

It will be better higher up

Posted on December 20, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Dwight L. Moody used to tell of a saintly old woman who was always cheerful, even though confined to a dingy attic apartment. A friend one day took a wealthy woman to meet her. When they reached the second floor, … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Heaven, Hope, Hope of Glory | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Past glories that no one else remembers

Posted on December 20, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

I know of a man who was once voted captain and most improved player on the school basketball team. The proudest moment of his life was the day when, in front of the entire student body, he was presented with … Continue reading →

Posted in Achievement, Futility, Hope, Hope of Glory | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Transferring rights and privileges

Posted on November 5, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Robert Louis Stevenson once gave a rather odd gift to a friend’s daughter, Annie, who had the misfortune to have been born on Christmas, and every Christmas complained that she never got to have her own birthday party. So Robert … Continue reading →

Posted in Incarnation, Jesus, New Life, Privilege | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Unhappier, despite being richer

Posted on November 5, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

In his book, ‘Britain on the Couch: Why we are unhappier Compared with Nineteen Fifty, Despite Being Richer,’ psychologist Oliver James points out that considerably more people today suffer from depression than fifty years ago and that depression is now … Continue reading →

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Meaning is in the final outcome

Posted on October 16, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Aristotle said that we can never really understand the meaning of a thing until we look at its final outcome; like the alphabet for example; it only makes sense when we put the letters together and form a sentence. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Life, Life's lessons, Living Life, Meaning in life | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Tread softly

Posted on September 7, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s a wonderful line in one of Yeats’ poems that says: ‘Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.’ I used to remind myself of these words when my daughters were in their teens and were full of wonderful ideas … Continue reading →

Posted in Dreams, Hope, inner yearning, Kingdom of God, Living Life, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment