students of jesus

Knowledge can become a terrible burden. The weight of information can bend the back of the strongest man. We are loaded down with so many shoulds we find ourselves paralyzed by the inability to apply what we know. We open up our web browser and ten thousand voices shout for our attention, each one urgent. Through our computers, radios, televisions, and even our friends urgent knowledge reaches out and tries to shake us into action.

Here are a dozen smooth stones with only one aim: to provide rest. These lessons do claim ultimate authority; they are not a call to action; they do not command obedience. They whisper simply, “Here . . .”

One dozen liberating life lessons

1). I don’t have to know the answer.

2). Just because I know an answer doesn’t mean I have to answer the question.

3). The answer is rarely as interesting as the person asking the question.

4). Knowing the answer sometimes keeps me from asking the right question.

5). Facts are never true. They are merely facts.

6). God’s presence is an observable, objective fact, and we can recognize his presence.

7). Faith, hope, and love are abiding, eternal things, and I can start cultivating them now.

8). Celebrity authenticates no one—but neither does it disqualify anyone from speaking the truth.

9). The wisdom of Yoda was not very deep, but it was interesting because he was small, green, and funny-looking.

10). If a picture is worth a thousand words, actually being there is worth a trillion.

11). The end of a matter is better than its beginning; patience is better than pride.

12). Lists convey a false sense of authority.

What about you? Do you have a collection of quiet truths, the kind that give you peace and rest? What gems have you picked up along the way?