I Believe

A friend sent this to me today (not sure who authored it), and I thought I'd pass it along. Although there may be room for debate on a couple of things, overall I think it's really inspiring....

I Believe

I believe...that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do love each other.

I believe...that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe...that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe...that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe...that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe...that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe...that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe...that you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I believe...that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe...that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe...that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe...that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe...that my best friend and I can do anything, or nothing, and have the best time.

I believe...that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe...that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe...that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe...that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others, sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe...that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe...that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are but, we are responsible for who we become.

I believe...that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I believe...two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe...that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe...that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I believe...the happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything they just make the most of everything.

I hope everyone gets the opportunity to really live what you believe this week!

Give them grace and peace

Last week Leo & I did a search on the New Living Translation site (for "peace" I think it was), and we wound up making an amazing discovery. I don't know exactly how many verses there were, but we found 3 PAGES of verses that had "May God give you his grace and peace" or something very similar. 3 PAGES!!! And not all from the same writer!

Now you could go with one of two opinions here. Either it was a quaint little saying of the time, or the writers really understood how much we need His grace and peace. We tend to lean toward the latter.

Since our Small Group topic was going to be about the things we strive for in life, this little discovery provided us with a fantastic closing for the night. After talking about all the things we spend our energy striving for in this world, we talked about this phrase that was used so many times throughout the New Testament. May God give you His grace and peace. Never "I hope you get that job you're wanting" or "I hope you wind up getting that house you liked so much".

May God give you His grace and peace.

Generally, the reason we strive for the things we do is to achieve peace in one way or another. What if we don't need what we thought we did to get that peace? What if He will just give us His peace? What if He just gives us the grace and the peace we need to walk through our situation as is? What if we don't need anything to change to get that peace we're longing for???

May God give you His grace and peace.

When the dust settles and the smoke clears, it's all we really need.