Tag Archives: fulfillment

Sparks of God

Posted on September 3, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The Stoics were a group of philosophers in ancient Greece. One of their great beliefs was that there was a spark of God in every living creature. The Sceptics – another group of Greek philosophers – laughed at this concept … Continue reading →

Posted in Discerning God's Will, Faith, God, God in us, Obedience | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A message from moths

Posted on August 30, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The poet Shelly referred to the way that moths are drawn irresistably to the light of a star as a powerful symbol of our own yearning for something beyond the limitations of this life. For some reason we don’t understand, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alistair McGrath, God, inner yearning, Spiritual discernment, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

If you’re happy and you know it…

Posted on August 29, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Dictionaries often define the word ‘happy’ as ‘lucky’ or ‘fortunate’. But there’s another definition that describes it as ‘the capacity for enjoyment.’ I like that because I’ve long believed that it’s not how much we have that makes us happy, … Continue reading →

Posted in Attitude, enjoyment, Happiness, perception | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

No-one feels a nobody when they are part of a great endeavour

Posted on August 19, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

When Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London was being built, somebody asked one of the stonemasons what he did. He replied blandly that he cut stone. He asked the same question of another mason, who said that he was building a … Continue reading →

Posted in Affirmation, Attitude, Encouragement, Great Endeavours, Inspirational, Life, Life's journey, Purpose in life, Self Image, Spiritual Insight | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

There’s more to life than being indispensable.

Posted on August 19, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

One of the best things my old Dad taught me was not to take myself too seriously; as this little poem says: Sometime, when you’re feeling important, Sometime, when your ego’s in bloom. Sometime, when you take it for granted … Continue reading →

Posted in Feeling Indispensible, Life's journey, Self Destruction, Taking self too seriously | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Happiness is like a butterfly

Posted on August 19, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The greatest conundrum of modern life is that we don’t become happy by pursuing happiness. Harold Kushner talks about this in his evocatively titled book ‘When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough.’ ”You become happy by living a life that … Continue reading →

Posted in Generous spirit, Happiness, Personal Growth, Spiritual blindness, Spiritual Insight | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Paradise Lost

Posted on June 15, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Years ago there was a place I used to visit occasionally that seemed like paradise to me. I used to daydream about what it would be like to live and work there. Then, some years later, an opportunity came to … Continue reading →

Posted in Conflict, Heaven, Hell, Life, Life's journey, Paradise, Trials and testings, tribulation and trouble | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Light of Life

Posted on June 15, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Just before his death Mark Twain wrote: “A myriad of men are born; they labor and sweat and struggle; they squabble and fight; they scramble for little mean advantages over each other; age creeps upon them; infirmities follow; those they … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Futility, Hope, Light of Life, Meaninglessness | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What’s it all about?

Posted on June 12, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The distinguished philosopher, Hugh Moorhead, once wrote to two hundred and fifty well-known philosophers, scientists, writers and intellectuals and asked for their comments on what is the purpose of life. Some of them offered their best guesses, some said they … Continue reading →

Posted in Life's journey, Living Life, Purpose in life, Restlessness | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Two Pictures

Posted on June 5, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

We all carry two pictures of ourselves in our imaginations. One is a picture of how we see ourselves right now. The other is a picture of ourselves as we’d like to be. The first is a real picture; the … Continue reading →

Posted in Affirmation, Aspiration, Contradictions, Living Life, pilgrimage, Seeing the possibilities, Self Image, Spiritual Insight, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment