Tag Archives: peace with one’s self

Am I one of God’s blunders, or is he one of mine?

Posted on April 2, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

The atheist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche used to say: ‘Is man one of God’s blunders, or is God one of man’s blunders?’ But H. G. Wells, who was never particularly religious, having studied the history of the human race and having … Continue reading →

Posted in Agnosticism, Atheism, Faith, Faithfulness, God, God in us, Going Nowhere, Meaninglessness, Purpose in life | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A message to deliver

Posted on March 24, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s an old Jewish tradition that God sends each of us into the world with a special message to deliver and with a special act of love to bestow, which only we are equipped to do. That’s why comparing ourselves … Continue reading →

Posted in Called and Chosen, Life, Life's journey, Living Life, Purpose in life | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

It’s not enough just to observe

Posted on March 20, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Some years ago Photojournalist Kevin Carter won a Pulitzer Prize with a picture of a starving Sudanese child crawling toward a feeding center while a vulture stared at him. That image drew international attention to both Sudan’s suffering and to … Continue reading →

Posted in Compassion, Indifference, Pain, Suffering, Sympathy and Support | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The world on our shoulders

Posted on March 20, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Bruce Larsen was for many years a counsellor in New York. Sometimes he would take over-stressed clients to the RCA Building to see the famous statue of Atlas holding the world upon his shoulders, barely able to stand under this … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlas, Faith, God, God in us, God with us, God's faithfulness, Sleeplessness, Storms of life, Strength, Stress filled life | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

When you get to the top, there’s nothing there

Posted on March 10, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

When Boris Becker was at the top of the tennis world he actually contemplated suicide. He said, ‘I had won Wimbledon twice – once as the youngest player to do so. I was rich. I had all the material possessions … Continue reading →

Posted in Disappointed, emptiness, Faith, Futility, Life, Life's journey, Living Life, Meaninglessness, Success | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Everything good begins in silence

Posted on February 26, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Most of us will do anything to avoid sitting alone and quietly confronting our own inner selves, which is why Pascal, the French philosopher, said: “All men’s miseries come from their inability to sit quietly and alone.” The Danish philosopher … Continue reading →

Posted in Boredom, Calmness, Contemplation, inner peace, Rush, Silence, Stillness | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

God wants to take my picture

Posted on February 12, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Tony Campolo tells a story about a friend who has an adorable four-year-old daughter who, one night during a violent thunderstorm, was found, quite unpeturbed, standing on the windowsill, spread-eagled against the glass. As the lightning flashed and the thunder … Continue reading →

Posted in Childlike faith, children, Faith, Life, Life's journey, Storms of life | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Numbered Days

Posted on January 28, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

A few years ago an Indian holy man nearly incited a riot by failing to die as foretold. He’d predicted that his soul would leave his body sometime on the morning of November 17, and fifteen thousand people showed up … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Life's journey, Living Life, Wisdom | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

‘Man sees the deed, but God sees the intention.’

Posted on January 4, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

I remember my little daughter once deciding to buy me an ice-cream with her own money. But on the way back from the Mr Whippy van the ice cream started to melt. So she began to lick the sides of … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance, Failure, Faith, Forgiveness, God, God's faithfulness, Grace | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Lose weight – eat like a horse

Posted on December 20, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The two biggest sellers in any bookstore, according to Andy Rooney, are cookbooks and diet books. The cookbooks tell you how to prepare the food and the diet books tell you how not to eat any of it. Orson Welles … Continue reading →

Posted in Diets, Passions, Self Discipline, Self-control | Tagged , , | Leave a comment