Daily Thoughts

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A Time to Think Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. – Benjamin Franklin
To Act Show what you are made of and lead by example.
To Pray Lord, help me to be a messenger of hope.

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4/4

A Time to Think Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that. --Norman Vincent Peale
To Act Work with faithfulness and grateful hearts.
To Pray Lord the greatest success I can achieve is to know You and to love You, and help others know and love You too.

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4/5

A Time to Think Giving is the secret of a healthy life. Not necessarily money, but whatever a man has of encouragement and sympathy and understanding. --John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
To Act Find opportunities to volunteer instead of waiting for them to come to you.
To Pray Lord, help me to act on Your promise.

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4/6

A Time to Think What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable. --Joseph Addison
To Act Balance your daily duties with the beauty and joy of every moment.
To Pray Lord, thank You for giving us the ability to learn, grow and refresh ourselves in new and different ways.

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4/7

A Time to Think Nothing makes you like other human beings so much as doing things for them. -Zora Neale Hurston
To Act Share with others how important they are to you.
To Pray God, help me always to remember: I don’t have to be the best in order to be valuable—to other people or to You.

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4/8

A Time to Think See how nature--trees, flowers, grass--grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. . . . We need silence to be able to touch souls. --Mother Teresa
To Act Pay attention to your dreams.
To Pray Thank you, Lord, for the gift of wisdom in the world that surrounds me.

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4/9

A Time to Think A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success. -Anonymous
To Act Today, increase your degree of caring.
To Pray Lord, show me new ways to bring comfort and healing in Your name.

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4/10

A Time to Think Earth, with her thousand voices, praises God. -Samuel Taylor Coleridge
To Act Take notice of the changes that are blooming around you.
To Pray Lord, thank You for the tremendous difference you make in our lives.

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4/11

A Time to Think Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others? -Martin Luther King, Jr.
To Act Cherish your purpose in life.
To Pray Today God, let me shine for You.

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4/12

A Time to Think The heart is happiest when it beats for others. —Anonymous
To Act Face every situation with faith in your heart.
To Pray Lord, teach me how to share Your kindness with everyone I meet.

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4/13

A Time to Think God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer. -Mother Teresa
To Act Live with the thought of being in God's care.
To Pray Lord, day in and day out, help me to spread Your message of mercy and compassion.

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4/14

A Time to Think No man is so poor as to have nothing worth giving. --Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
To Act Give your joy to others and it will come back to you.
To Pray Dear Lord, may I give to someone today my friendship. May I let them rest in my love and care.

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4/15

A Time to Think What force is more potent than love? --Igor Stravinsky
To Act Find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.
To Pray Lord, open my eyes to the love around me, and help me see how much You love me through others.

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4/16

A Time to Think The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others. -Vincent Van Gogh
To Act Boost someone’s spirit, and you will raise yours as well.
To Pray Lord, help me to release my fears to Your love.

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4/17

A Time to Think A man is what he thinks about all day long. --Ralph Waldo Emerson
To Act Establish habits of faith that will hold you firm in unsteady times.
To Pray Keep me aware today, Father, that I am walking in Your light.

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4/18

A Time to Think The mind has exactly the same power as the hands; not merely to grasp the world, but to change it. -Anonymous
To Act Let the quality of your deeds speak on your behalf.
To Pray Lord, give me courage to stretch past my safe boundaries.

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4/19

A Time to Think Every day you spend without a smile, is a lost day. -Anonymous
To Act Fill your heart with strength and love for each other.
To Pray Lord, give me courage to stretch past my safe boundaries.

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4/20

A Time to Think The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. - Anonymous
To Act Involve yourself in things you believe in.
To Pray Dear Lord, thank You for the opportunity to turn my failure into success.

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4/21

A Time to Think Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt. —Shakespeare
To Act Diminish doubt and increase your faith.
To Pray Father, with all of my questions and all of my doubts, help me to remember that things begin with You.

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4/22

A Time to Think Circumstance does not make me, it reveals me. --William James
To Act Face your challenges with determination and resiliency.
To Pray Lord, catch me when I slip and fall, and set me safe again on Your sure path.

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4/23

A Time to Think The beginning is the most important part of any work. -Plato
To Act Be the first, not the next.
To Pray Lord, hold onto me as I go forward with faith in You.

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4/24

A Time to Think Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable. -Helen Keller
To Act Have great hopes and dare to go all out for them.
To Pray Father, help me to do what I can, and in the doing help me to find new confidence for larger responsibilities.

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4/25

A Time to Think Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable. -Helen Keller
To Act Have great hopes and dare to go all out for them.
To Pray Father, help me to do what I can, and in the doing help me to find new confidence for larger responsibilities.

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4/26

A Time to Think Looking back, I have this to regret, that too often when I loved, I did not say so. –David Grayson
To Act Perform the little acts that give form and continuity to love.
To Pray Lord, give me the grace to support the people I love in making their own choices and decisions.

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4/27

A Time to Think The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. -Eric Hoffer
To Act Hold on to what is good.
To Pray Lord, keep me true to the beauty with which You created me.

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4/28

A Time to Think Enjoying the joys of others and suffering with them--these are the best guides for man. -Albert Einstein
To Act Encourage the hearts of people around you simply by being there.
To Pray Lord help me to remember the things in life that really matter.

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4/29

A Time to Think The magic of enthusiasm can work magic in your life. Its powerful effect can remake your very existence. —Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
To Act Support one another with the spirit of strength and peace.
To Pray Lord, show me how to make every activity of every day a doorway into Your presence.

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4/30

A Time to Think Miracles are of all sizes. And if you start believing in little miracles, you can work up to the bigger ones. —Norman Vincent Peale
To Act Live with hope in your heart.
To Pray Lord, slow me down. Help me to feel the sun upon my face.

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5/1

Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see the beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead. -Louisa May Alcott
To Act Enjoy each age of your life.
To Pray Lord, you scatter the joys of life among us. Together we can make our way to heaven, where all our dreams will come to pass.

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5/2

A Time to Think He who has courage and faith will never perish in misery. --Anne Frank
To Act When fear comes, counter it with an affirmation of faith.
To Pray God, give me the courage to seek new solutions to old problems, and the ingenuity to turn weeds into roses.

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5/3

A Time to Think You will find, as you look back upon your life, that the moments when you really lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love. - Henry Drummond
To Act Keep hope in your life.
To Pray Lord, help me to find renewal from my difficulties by remembering that nothing happens out of Your control.

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5/4

A Time to Think You will find, as you look back upon your life, that the moments when you really lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love. - Henry Drummond
To Act Keep hope in your life.
To Pray Lord, help me to find renewal from my difficulties by remembering that nothing happens out of Your control.

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5/5

A Time to Think We may not be able to give much but we can always give the joy that springs in a heart that is in love with God. -Mother Teresa
To Act Share with others how important they are to you.
To Pray Dear God, may You touch someone through me this day.

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5/6

A Time to Think It is by believing in roses that one brings them to bloom.-French Proverb
To Act Remember that all glory comes from daring to begin.
To Pray Lord, help me to do what I can, and in the doing to find new confidence of larger responsibilities.

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5/7

A Time to Think If you judge people, you have no time to love them. -Mother Teresa
To Act Let your heart inspire your life.
To Pray Lord, keep us mindful of the humanity we share with all people.

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5/8

A Time to Think All that I have written seems to me like straw compared to what has now been revealed to me. — St. Thomas Aquinas
To Act Don't underestimate your power to change yourself.
To Pray Lord, help me to listen to Your voice in all times and all places. Help me to answer Your call.

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5/9

A Time to Think Prayer is man's greatest means of tapping the infinite resources of God. -J. Edgar Hoover
To Act Be compassionate, be caring and loving.
To Pray Lord, because I believe in You, I believe in what our prayers can mean.

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5/10

A Time to Think Each today, well lived, makes yesterday a dream of happiness and each tomorrow a vision of hope. Look, therefore, to this one day, for it and it alone is life. --Anonymous
To Act Encourage courage. Praise someone for going after his or her dreams.
To Pray Lord, help me to notice everything you want me to see today.

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5/11

A Time to Think I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have. - Abraham Lincoln
To Act Pursue righteousness and kindness.
To Pray Lord, let me never miss an opportunity to give.

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5/12

A Time to Think Part of the happiness of life consists not in fighting battles but in avoiding them. A masterly retreat is in itself a victory. -Norman Vincent Peale
To Act Every day, try to be a little wiserthan you were the day before.
To Pray Lord, help me to see the extraordinary achievements of everyday life.

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5/13

A Time to Think The great use of life is to spend it on something that will outlast it. --James Truslow Adams
To Act Contemplate new ways to extend your voice and bring beauty to the world.
To Pray Lord, give me a spirit that unabashedly celebrates You and the joy of living.

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5/14

A Time to Think God has put something noble and good into every heart which His hand created. -Mark Twain
To Act Every day, remind yourself of your own ability, of your good mind, and affirm that you can make something really good out of your life.
To Pray Let me never be too old to hear Your word, God, and store it in my heart.

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5/15

A Time to Think Let us always greet each other with a smile for the smile is the beginning of love. - Mother Teresa
To Act Express your gratitude for something good that has come your way.
To Pray Thank You, Father, for giving me everything I need to be content.

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A Time to Think There are two worlds; the world that we can measure with the line and rule, and the world that we feel with our hearts and imagination. --Leigh Hunt
To Act Right a wrong in your own life.
To Pray Dear God, thank You for giving me a fresh start each and every day.

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A Time to Think Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. —Robert Brault
To Act Appreciate the joy in this life in even its simplest forms.
To Pray Dear Father, help me to share the blessings that You have given me.

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A Time to Think Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. —Robert Brault
To Act Appreciate the joy in this life in even its simplest forms.
To Pray Dear Father, help me to share the blessings that You have given me.

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A Time to Think Life’s blows cannot break a person whose spirit is warmed at the fire of enthusiasm. —Norman Vincent Peale
To Act Make the most of today.
To Pray Heavenly Father, we thank You for the comfort you give us, when we come to You.

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A Time to Think The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of the dream. —Eleanor Roosevelt
To Act Balance your daily duties with the beauty and joy of every moment.
To Pray Lord, create in me a fresh new spirit that follows Your directions.

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A Time to Think Change yourself and your work will seem different. —Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
To Act Face the challenges that you encounter with faith in your heart.
To Pray Dear God, in the days ahead, help me to begin properly; putting first things first.

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A Time to Think We are all faced with magnificent opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.-Charles R. Swindell
To Act Be aware of small chances that come your way to show compassion.
To Pray Lord, help me to look to tomorrow with hope.

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A Time to Think When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die. --Eleanor Roosevelt
To Act Lose yourself in something that you believe in.
To Pray Lord, remind me that my accomplishments are not my moments of glory, but Yours.

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A Time to Think There is no greater invitation to love than loving first. -St. Augustine
To Act Allow yourself to be loved and to love all that you meet.
To Pray Lord, teach us not only to feel love, but to share it.

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A Time to Think I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy, I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy. - Mother Teresa
To Act Open your arms to beautiful moments and they will come to you.
To Pray Lord, thank You for the glorious dawn, which fades the darkness of night.

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A Time to Think Man can alter his life by altering his thinking. -William James
To Act Contemplate new ways to extend you voice and bring beauty to the world.
To Pray Lord, help us to trust You as we walk through our lives.

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A Time to Think No matter how sad you are today, happiness and laughter and even joy are distinct possibilities for tomorrow, or if not tomorrow, the day after that. —Linda Richman
To Act Contemplate new ways to extend you voice and bring beauty to the world.
To Pray Dear Lord, let us go forward with great hope that all things can be possible—with Your help and guidance.

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A Time to Think Where there is great love there are always miracles. - Willa Cather
To Act Waste no tears over yesterday's grief.
To Pray Lord, help me to remember in thought and prayer those whom You have brought into my life.

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A Time to Think What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other? -George Eliot
To Act Look for an opportunity to make a positive difference.
To Pray Dear Lord, help me to remember to use my voice with Your grace in mind.

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A Time to Think Forgive all who have offended you, not for them, but for youself. -Harriet Nelson
To Act Let go of old wounds and enjoy today.
To Pray Lord, help me to realize the healing power of forgiveness.

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A Time to Think In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit. -Anne Frank
To Act Waste not fresh tears, over old griefs.
To Pray Dear Lord, I am grateful for the love You have given me.

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A Time to Think Faith goes up the stairs that love has made and looks out the windows which hope has opened. --Charles H. Spurgeon
To Act When you pray, release your worry and rest in God.
To Pray Thank You, Father, for the healing power of hope.

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A Time to Think The greatest wastes are unused talents and untried ideas. --Anonymous
To Act Always be ready to learn and grow.
To Pray Lord, thank You for the mountains, and thank You for walking through the valleys, too.

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A Time to Think Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you. –H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
To Act Never dwell on bitterness, anger and despair.
To Pray Lord help me to never lose sight of the things in my life that really matter.

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A Time to Think Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. -Michael Jordan
To Act Learn to think of opportunity instead of security.
To Pray Lord, thank You for the great joy that so often grows from our problems.

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A Time to Think Choices are the hinges of destiny. -Edwin Markham
To Act Learn from your experiences and errors of yesterday.
To Pray Lord, may I always love the truth and have the courage to live in it.

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A Time to Think Prayer is not asking for what you think you want, but asking to be changed in ways you can't imagine. -Kathleen Norris
To Act Pray for someone that you don't know.
To Pray When crises come, Father, peace is knowing that Your help is a prayer away.

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ToThink
The most important word in the English language is hope. -Eleanor Roosevelt

ToPray
Lord, all things are possible if we believe. Thank you for loving us enough to send what we need.

ToAct
Pause to admire the world.

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A Time to Think To know how to grow old is the masterwork of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living. --Henri Frederic Amiel
To Act Continue to expand your goals.
To Pray Lord, help me to be humble messenger of Your hope.

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A Time to Think Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that. --Norman Vincent Peale
To Act Work with faithfulness and grateful hearts.
To Pray Lord the greatest success I can achieve is to know You and to love You, and help others know and love You too.

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A Time to Think One of the sanest, surest and most generous joys of life comes from being happy over the good fortune of others. -John Rutledge
To Act Learn wisdom from failure.
To Pray Lord, help me to see the possibility of love in others.

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A Time to Think Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be. - Robert Browning
To Act Revisit a goal that you have abandoned and ask yourself why you have let it go.
To Pray Lord, it is such a comfort knowing that with You I am never truly alone.

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A Time to Think If you begin to live life looking for the God that is all around you, every moment becomes a prayer.—Frank Bianco
To Act Take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you.
To Pray Lord, continue to guide me through any unknown territory I face today.

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A Time to Think The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world. --Marianne Williamson
To Act Forgive yourself when you fail.
To Pray Lord, please help me to chose today what will point me towards You.

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A Time to Think A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles. -Washington Irving
To Act Be ready to find joy where and when it surfaces.
To Pray Dear Lord, guide me towards Your plan. Help me to take the first step.

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A Time to Think Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. -Carrie Fisher
To Act Forgive those who have hurt you.
To Pray Dear Lord, guide me towards Your plan. Help me to take the first step.

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A Time to Think When you get up in the morning, you have two choices - either to be happy or to be unhappy. Just choose to be happy. -Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
To Act Boost someone’s spirit, and you will raise yours as well.
To Pray Dear Lord, thank You for the opportunity to turn my failure into success.

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A Time to Think No man is so poor as to have nothing worth giving. --Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
To Act Give your joy to others and it will come back to you.
To Pray Dear Lord, may I give to someone today my friendship. May I let them rest in my love and care.

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A Time to Think God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer. -Mother Teresa
To Act Live with the thought of being in God's care.
To Pray Lord, day in and day out, help me to spread Your message of mercy and compassion.

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Practice Affirming God's Presence.

Visualize God's presence several minutes each day. Affirm, "God is with me; God is helping me; God is guiding me." Practice believing that affirmation. Affirm it, visualize it, and it will actualize itself. God is always with you. Seek Him out.

No. 70 in a series of 100 Power Thoughts from The Power of Positive Thinking, the All-Time inspirational Best-Selling Book by Norman Vincent Peale.

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NACR Daily Meditation for Thursday, 6/19/2008

by Dale and Juanita Ryan

(Rooted in God's Love, the book from which these meditations are taken, is back in print. For details go here)

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:9-11

Our children ask regularly for bread, milk, cereal and every other kind of food in the house. We delight in their appetite and their growth and development. It is pleasurable for us to provide the basic good things they need to be nourished and sustained physically.

Jesus uses the simple joys of parenting to make a point about God. Just like parents enjoy providing for their children, God is eager to provide good things for us. God is a good parent. God delights in our growth, development and nurture.

But God is not a codependent parent. God wants us to ask directly for the things we need. The importance of asking comes from the fact that it requires us to acknowledge our need. We have learned to deny our needs. We have learned to act as if we can take care of ourselves. As a result, we have a difficult time both asking God for good things and trusting God to respond.

Most of us begin with the struggle to identify our needs and to put them into words. After this we struggle to acknowledge that these needs can't be met with our own resources. And finally, we struggle to come to God and to trust God to be a giver of good gifts.

Lord, I acknowledge to you today that I have many needs.
I cannot take care of these needs on my own.
I turn to you for help.
Giver of Good Gifts, hear my prayer.
I am in need of what only you can give.
Help me to trust you today.
Help me to rest in the promise that you desire to give good gifts.
Amen.