Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; they grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind…

“If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan? For even your brothers, the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you; yes, they have called a multitude after you. Do not believe them, even though they speak smooth words to you.”

My favorite lines from Cleo Wade’s TED talk:

Do not be afraid to say, “Yes.” Start by being a better friend, a better parent, a better child to your parents; a better sibling, a better lover, a better partner. Start by being a better neighbor.

Find your peace within, hold it sacred, bring it with you everywhere you go.

Love enough to know that just because someone disagrees with you, it does not make them your enemy. You may not win an argument, you may not change a mind, but if you choose to, you can always achieve the triumph of radical empathy — an understanding of the heart.

Ask, “Why?” Ask, “How did we get here?” Do this with compassion. Start by truly learning how to forgive yourself. We cannot overcome what we ignore. Start by having the first conversation at your own kitchen table.

Love yourself so much that you can love others without barriers and without judgment.

Our righteous acts create immeasurable ripples in the endless river of justice. Start by doing what you can with what you’ve got, where you are and in your own way. We just have to be brave enough to care. “Be good to as many people as possible.”

“At every crossway on the road that leads to the future, each progressive spirit is opposed by a thousand men assigned to guard the past.” Maurice Maeterlinck

“‘Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.’ Moreover He said to me: ‘Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears. And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, “Thus says the Lord God,” whether they hear, or whether they refuse.’” – Ezekiel 3

“I will die, yes, but not today.” – Kate Bowler

And from a friend: “You don’t only live once. You live each day. You only die once.”

“‘Don’t skip to the end.’ …we just can’t know… our brains fill in all the details, for good or for ill. We want to tell ourselves a story—any story—so we can get back to certainty… I am so desperate to know what’s going to happen. At least so I can prepare.” – Kate Blower

“he did it without knowing it would matter. He marched forward because it was the best he could do. …How do you stop? You just stop. You come to the end of yourself. And then you take a deep breath. And say a prayer. And get back to work.” – Kate Blower

“I have come to the end of what I know how to do. I know how to suffer. I know how to make the best of things. But I don’t know how to do the most basic thing—I don’t know how to stop. I want to stop… but what if that’s the beginning of my decline? What if I need to keep going a little longer? How will I know when I can stop?” – Kate Bowler