Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Henry Cloud, from his book, Changes That Heal ( p. 23). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Henry starts this section off by saying, “Our God is a God ‘full of grace and truth’ (John 1:14).” He then says, “We often hear the phrase ‘full of grace and truth,’ but we rarely stop and realize its implications for our struggles here on earth. What are grace and truth? Why are they so important?” He goes on, “Let’s take grace first. Grace is the unmerited favor of God toward people. Grace is something we have not earned and do not deserve. . . To put it another way, grace is unconditional love and acceptance. Such love is the foundation upon which all healing of the human spirit rests. It is also the essence of God. ‘God is love,’ writes the apostle John (1 John 4:8). And God loves us freely, without condition.” He then says, “Grace is the first ingredient necessary for growing up in the image of God. Gra...

A thought by Henry Cloud, from his book, Changes That Heal ( p. 17). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Hurting people need answers.   They want to know where to turn. Henry says,  “ The Bible says that we were created ‘in the image of God’ (Gen. 1:27). We were created ‘like’ God. Theologians have filled libraries with books about the attributes, or characteristics, of God. They distinguish between God’s incommunicable attributes—he is immutable (changeless), omnipotent (all-powerful), infinite (without limitations), omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (everywhere)—and his communicable attributes—he is just, righteous, holy, loving, and faithful. Obviously, we can’t reflect God’s incommunicable attributes: we can never be all-powerful or all-knowing. But we can become more loving and more holy. The more we become like him in these attributes, the less we will struggle with emotional problems. ” He goes o...

A thought by Henry Cloud, from his book, The Law of Happiness: How Spiritual Wisdom and Modern Science Can Change Your Life (The Secret Things of God) (p. 49). Howard Books. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) We’re dealing with happiness here that we can have by living in the moment. Henry says, “Much of people’s inability to live in the present results from their trying to live in the future to avoid what they are experiencing right now. They are like a hamster on a wheel, always trying to stay one step ahead of their feelings. The behavior is often a coping mechanism that was developed early in their lives to avoid painful feelings or to give them a feeling of control over environments that were painful or stressful. But the problem is that now the coping mechanism from the past works against them, creating more stress and keeping them from achieving happiness in their present lives. They take their pasts with them into the pre...