Christianity asserts that human souls are bought back from sin—redeemed—by Jesus’s sacrifice of his life on the cross, which is also God’s sacrifice of His only begotten Son. Suffering and loss, therefore, becomes a kind of coin to purchase virtue.
What, if anything, have you gained from the suffering of others?
“Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in blood of his followers and sacrifices of his friends.”
― Dwight D. Eisenhower
How might we promote humility in our national leaders?
A labyrinth is designed to lead you on a long and winding route to the center. It would be far more sensible and efficient to just hop the lines and get to the center by the most direct line. Which would, of course, sacrifice the entire point of a labyrinth.
When has taking a long and indirect route proved to be the best way to get where you wanted to go?
“Sometimes I knew in all my mind and heart why I had done what I had done, and I welcomed the sacrifice. But there were times too when I lived in a desert and felt no joy and saw no hope and could not remember my old feelings. Then I lived by faith alone, faith without hope.
What good did I get from it? I got to have love in my heart.”
― Wendell Berry
How has love sustained you through a time of hopelessness?
We humans have such a hard time being generous, particularly compared with nature, which seems to want to just fill every nook and cranny up with beauty, whether we deserve it or not.
What bit of beauty or kindness can you give away today?
