Spiritual relationship help &
Building self esteem
Chicken Soup for the Soul cocreators Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen with Chris Karcher
ABC's Dr. Timothy Johnson,
Finding God in the Questions, and Chris
.
Lee Strobel, The Case for a Creator, and Chris Karcher
Spiritual relationship help &
Building self esteem
Spiritual relationship help &
Building self esteem
Give what you want to receive
Two words summarize the Golden Rule: give grace. God is the source of grace. But we become vessels of grace when we choose to open our hearts to it. Become cognizant of the choices you make. Every encounter is an opportunity to administer grace.
A friend starts each day with a prayer that she can help someone that day with a smile, kind words, or a hug. Each gift is free.
The amount of love in your life is dependent on you, not other people. If you want more love in your life, act more lovingly. If you want to be treated with kindness and compassion, treat others with kindness and compassion. If you want others to accept you as you are, accept them as they are. If you want to be fed, feed the hungry.
This is easier said than done. It calls you to forgive the unforgivable, love the unlovable, and be gracious to the graceless. It means you hate injustice, but love your foe as you contest unfairness. You may loathe an institution, but love the individual running it. During conflict you respond firmly, but kindly, with dignity and grace. This does not mean you let people take advantage of you. Protect yourself and others from harm and hold others accountable for their actions, but do so in grace. Rather than returning “evil for evil,” you are called to break the cycle of what author Phillip Yancey refers to as “ungrace.”
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Copyright © 2003 by Christine N. Karcher. Chris Karcher is the author of Relationships of Grace, Amazing Things I Know About You, and Relationships of Grace Workbook. To order books and tapes, schedule Chris for speaking engagements, or subscribe to Chris’ newsletter, visit www.relationshipsofgrace.com, email order@relationshipsofgrace.com, or call 1-877-GET-GRACE (1-877-438-4722).