Mindfulness. It’s kind of popular these days to talk about being mindful, being present, but what all these gurus are talking about is different than biblical mindfulness. Author Julie Beck parodies this concept of mindfulness in The Atlantic: You probably see stories and tips about mindfulness online every day. But did you realize that reading these […]
Forgetfulness is not often seen as a virtue. It’s seen as evidence of mental decline into the sad world of dementia and the long goodbye of Alzheimer’s. But forgetting the right things can be a virtue to be gained. The Apostle Paul thought so. And God thinks so. Forgetfulness? “Don’t be silly!” Some of you […]
God is not a myth and Christians don’t live in a fantasy world. Sure, it’s easy to pass off a God we can’t see. But realism doesn’t ignore the spiritual. It’s a Tiny Virtue for Exemplary Christians who have one foot firmly planted on earth and one foot firmly planted in a spiritual world we […]
Caution is the flip side of encouragement. Speaking a word of caution into someone’s life is never as welcome as speaking a word of encouragement. Never as welcome, but every bit as necessary. How do you feel when someone offers you caution about an approach you’re taking or a risk you’re running? It doesn’t take […]
“I’ve had enough of your attitude!” How many moms can relate to having said that? And it probably isn’t in the context of children being angelic, winsome, agreeable, amenable, or compliant. Attitude probably conveys something more like sass, lip, disrespect, and rebellion. One’s attitude demonstrates the connection of one’s heart and one’s mind in clearer […]
Authenticity is a most desired virtue. However desirable, one rarely sees it in the Church no matter how much we talk about it. All we end up with is the not-so-close facsimile of “too much information.” Genuinely authentic people have nothing to hide, but it’s maybe not what you think. Their lives are transparent because they’ve […]
I wish I were better at savoring life’s moments. How much of my life would have been different, better even, had I chosen to savor the moment I was in rather than wishing it away or looking perpetually ahead on the calendar of life? If only the babies would grow up and stop needing diaper […]
How good are you at receiving criticism? If you’re like me, that question brings a decided “Ouch!” As we transition from the tiny virtues of the heart to the tiny virtues of the mind, we cannot help but see that our hearts and our minds have a certain connection. Our minds do not exist independently […]
Respect is earned. That’s a tough lesson for many of us. It’s earned by position (e.g. parents, government officials, doctors, pastors, etc.) and it’s earned by people with their actions. Because respect is earned, it can be lost. It can be lost by individuals not acting in accordance with their position, abusing authority as it […]
“You don’t know what it’s like because you’re not black,” he chided me angrily. I suggested to him that I could, however, empathize with the pain of discrimination because I have experienced it as a woman. Same sin, different target, I explained. He wasn’t buying it. Empathy is one of the Tiny Virtues for Exemplary […]
