Quotes about Reflection

Wisdom leads us to dialogues with the past. It doesn't lead us back to the past.

To live by faith—to live wisely—means living with an ever-increasing awareness of the hidden things, not simply a detached general knowledge that, say, "Money can be harmful," but a deep knowledge of ourselves, a true self-awareness of what money is doing to me . . . right now.

In reading the Bible we are watching the spiritual journeys of people long ago.

The point is that Proverbs 26:4—5 doesn't tell me what to do. It wasn't designed to. It models something better: the permission to think it through, figure it out, and learn from experience for next time. In fact, more than just giving us permission, the contradiction sets up our expectation that we will have to think it through.

I am amazed and encouraged by those who have lived through these moments of hell on earth and have continued on in the life of faith anyway. They have something to teach people like me: no matter what we think we know, no matter how sure we happen to think we are, suffering is the place where our sense of certainty about God's ways fades like a dream and forces us to consider that what we know may not be as central to our faith as we might think.

We can't avoid reasoning; we can only avoid doing it well.

And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

“Why are you angry,” said the LORD to Cain, “and why has your countenance fallen?

Early in the evening, Isaac went out to the field to meditate, and looking up, he saw the camels approaching.

“Look,” said Isaac, “I am now old, and I do not know the day of my death.

On reaching a certain place, he spent the night there because the sun had set. And taking one of the stones from that place, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.

Joseph hurried out because he was moved to tears for his brother, and he went to a private room to weep.