If we can exit a relationship, pressure to reconcile lessens; if we must live with those who have wronged us, we are pushed to reconcile.
Miroslav VolfRead
Every word and every deed, every thought and every gesture, even the simple act of paying attention can be a gift and therefore an echo of God’s life in us.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Everything we do and say can reflect a divine essence.
This quote emphasizes the significance of our actions, words, and even thoughts as manifestations of a higher spiritual presence. It suggests that by being mindful and intentional in our interactions and attentiveness, we can embody and express the divine life within us, making even the simplest gestures meaningful and profound.
Themes
GiftDivineMindfulnessAttentionLife
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a meditation retreat to inspire reflection on mindfulness.
More from Miroslav Volf
All quotes →Forgiveness flounders because I exclude the enemy from the community of humans and myself from the community of sinners.
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Love properly understood is God—the font of all creation and the ultimate goal of all desires; God properly understood is love.
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If no one remembers a misdeed or names it publically, it remains invisible. To the observer, its victim is not a victim and its perpetrator is not a perpetrator; both are misperceived because the suffering of the one and the violence of the other go unseen. A double injustice occurs-the first when the original deed is done and the second when it disappears.
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There is no space in which worship should not take place, no time when it should not occur, and no activity through which it should not happen.
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To affirm that God is God is to want to live in a particular way.
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