“If there is little water in the stream, it is not the fault of the channel, but of the source” (Jerome).
Our “sources” are the most important determinants of our lives. Whether we like the quality of our lives right now or not, the quality of our lives is not a mere accident; It is the result of a sequence of things that can be traced back to a few sources. And if there’s anything about our lives that we want to change, going back completely and double-checking our sources is the most productive and responsible thing we can do.
While it is true that external circumstances impact our happiness, the real quality of our lives is not created by our circumstances, but by us. Character. To the extent that circumstances hurt or help us, character hurts or helps us even more. But our individual characters didn’t just happen to us; As we have said, they come from certain sources. Consider the three most important of these.
Principle. Our principles are the ultimate source from which our character flows. For example, consider this principle: “All human beings are accountable to the objective moral law that governs the universe.” It makes a lot of difference whether that theory is true or false. Surely everyone would agree that it is important to decide whether such a theory would be a good source for our thinking.
Value. Our values are the things we value more than others, and here again, our decisions are important. For example, what do we like more: beauty or ugliness? Which would make a better source?
Target. Our principles and our values usually generate certain goals that we want to reach. A good life cannot come from any other source than good goals. Therefore it is important that we choose the highest quality targets.
Whatever the sources of our personal characters, it is to be hoped that we have chosen these sources carefully. If we have, there is no doubt that these are sources that we believe are good. And if that’s true, then we have to value and respect our sources. Above all, we need to live with continuity integrity To our sources – so that the excellence of “where we are coming from” reaches those around us.
“…showing them a light that is so sweet that they want to know its source with all their heart” (Madeleine L’Engle).
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com AreYouaChristian.com
