“As long as I stay out of the center, life continues to expand.”

Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin as self-neglect.

To give our shortcomings such power is to ensure that we will never have enough faith or strength to go forward; we are either condemned to trying to change the past or trying to control the future. Even if we're in deep sorrow at this moment, we can feel safe by appreciating that we have been given the ability to grieve, which takes courage and passion for life. Today, God, I give thanks for my vulnerability and my faith in Your Power & Love.

In rabbinic literature, God chooses Abraham only after Abraham has chosen God. In one well-known story, Abraham smashes his father’s idols to prove the fallacy of idol worship. In another story, Abraham reasons that a greater, invisible power must control the sun, the moon and the stars. Later, Maimonides describes Abraham as a philosopher who is “chosen” only because he discovers and has chosen God. Similarly, anyone “who sets oneself apart to stand before, to serve, to worship, and to know God is consecrated to the Holy of Holies, and his portion and inheritance shall be in God forever.”

I will practice the presence of God; to feel that He is with me, near me, protecting and strengthening me always. In spite of every difficulty, every trial, every failure, the presence of God suffices. Just to believe that He is near me brings strength and peace. I will try to live as though God were right beside me, that I may feel His spirit with me. I pray that I may try to practice the presence of God. I pray that by doing so I may never feel alone or helpless again.