Tag: Pride

  • My Life is My Message

    When Mahatma Gandhi was asked what his message to the world was, he answered simply:

    “My life is my message.”

    Few words have ever carried such depth.

    Gandhi understood something many of us spend our entire lives trying to learn: our true message is not found in what we say, but in how we live. Our actions speak louder than our intentions, louder than our opinions, and often louder than our prayers.

    Whether we realize it or not, every one of us is sending a message to the world every single day.

    The question is: how happy are you with your message?

    Not the message you post online.
    Not the image you try to project.
    But the message your daily life reveals.

    What does your life say about what you truly value?

    Does it say kindness matters?
    Does it say people matter?
    Does it say faith, honesty, compassion, and love are worth living for?

    Or does it reveal something else entirely — fear, anger, selfishness, pride, or indifference?

    These are uncomfortable questions because they force us to look honestly at ourselves. It is far easier to talk about goodness than it is to live it consistently.

    Most people want to be remembered well. They want their lives to mean something. Yet meaning is not created in grand moments alone. It is built quietly in everyday choices.

    In how we treat the waiter.
    In how we speak to family.
    In whether we forgive.
    In whether we help someone who cannot repay us.
    In whether we choose bitterness or grace.

    A life becomes a message one decision at a time.

    The beautiful thing is this: no matter what your message has been up to now, you can begin changing it today.

    A harsh person can become gentle.
    A selfish person can become generous.
    A lonely person can become a source of encouragement.
    A wounded person can become a healer.

    Every sunrise offers another opportunity to live differently.

    Saint Francis of Assisi is believed to have said, “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”

    The world does not only need more opinions. It needs more living examples. More people whose lives quietly radiate peace, integrity, humility, and love.

    Your life may never be written about in history books. Most of ours will not be. But every life leaves fingerprints on other people. Every conversation, every kindness, every act of patience or cruelty echoes farther than we imagine.

    Someone is learning from your life right now.

    A child.
    A friend.
    A stranger.
    A neighbor.
    Perhaps even someone silently struggling.

    What message are they receiving?

    At the end of our lives, people will not remember most of the words we said. They will remember how we made them feel. They will remember whether our presence brought light or darkness, hope or discouragement, peace or conflict.

    “My life is my message.”

    Perhaps the real challenge is not admiring Gandhi for saying it, but asking ourselves if we are willing to say the same.

    And if not today, what must change so that one day we can?

    Click Here is a way to make the message of your life truly dianamic and change the world begining with you.

    Rick

    thmjmj@gmail.com

  • Lead Me in the Way You Desire

    Trusting God When We Do Not Understand

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    There is a prayer so simple, so humble, and so powerful that it can change a life:

    “Lord, if this is not Your will, take it from me. Lead me in the way You desire.”

    Those words are not words of defeat. They are words of surrender. They are words of trust.

    In a world that teaches us to cling, control, and chase our own plans, this prayer invites us to open our hands and let God lead.

    When Our Plans Are Not God’s Plans

    We often pray for what we want:

    • A door to open
    • A relationship to work
    • A dream to come true
    • A burden to be lifted

    Yet sometimes God whispers, “I have something better.”

    Scripture reminds us:

    “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord…
    — Book of Jeremiah 29:11

    And in Book of Proverbs we are told:

    “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

    Faith is not always knowing where the road leads.

    Faith is trusting the One who leads.

    The Courage of “Take It From Me”

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    Sometimes we hold onto things God wants us to release:

    • Worry
    • Pride
    • Old wounds
    • Fear
    • Even dreams that are not His will

    To pray “take it from me” is brave.

    It echoes the prayer of Jesus of Nazareth in Gethsemane:

    “Not my will, but Yours be done.”

    That is not weakness.

    That is holiness.

    God Leads Through Closed Doors Too

    Some of God’s greatest mercies come disguised as unanswered prayers.

    A closed door may be protection.

    A delay may be preparation.

    A “no” may be guidance.

    Many times we understand only later that what we asked God to remove… He removed out of love.

    And what He asked us to surrender… He replaced with grace.

    Following the Way He Desires

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    When we ask God to lead us, He often guides in gentle ways:

    • Through prayer
    • Through Scripture
    • Through silence
    • Through wise friends
    • Through unexpected opportunities
    • Through peace in the heart

    Often His leading is not dramatic.

    It is daily.

    One faithful step at a time.

    As Book of Psalms says:

    “Your word is a lamp unto my feet…”

    Notice—a lamp, not a floodlight.

    Enough light for the next step.

    That is usually how God leads.

    A Prayer for Today

    You may want to pray this slowly:

    Lord,
    If this is not Your will, take it from me.
    Remove what keeps me from You.
    Close doors I should not walk through.
    Open the ones You desire.
    Lead me in Your way,
    Shape me by Your wisdom,
    And help me trust even when I do not understand.
    Not my will, Lord—
    Yours be done.
    Amen.

    Final Thought

    Surrender is not losing your way.

    It is finding God’s way.

    And there is no safer place than being led by Him.

    When life feels uncertain, pray simply:

    “Lord, if this is not Your will, take it from me. Lead me in the way You desire.”

    That prayer can change everything.

    Thank you for reading this blog. Please share it with others.

    Rick Herring

  • The Two Commandments That Change Everything

    Learning to Love God, Your Neighbor, and Yourself

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    In the time of Jesus, religious life for the Jewish people was shaped not only by the Ten Commandments but by 613 laws—guidelines meant to help people avoid breaking God’s covenant. These laws were intended as protection, a hedge around holiness.

    But over time, many became so focused on the rules that they lost sight of the deeper purpose behind them—the heart of the Torah, the spirit of mercy, and the living message of God.

    Then came Jesus, with the genius of divine simplicity.

    When asked which commandment was greatest, Jesus distilled all the law and the prophets into two breathtaking truths:

    “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
    This is the greatest and first commandment.
    And a second is like it:
    “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
    — Gospel of Matthew

    With these words, Jesus did not abolish the law—He fulfilled it.

    Everything hangs on love.

    The Forgotten Part of the Commandment

    Many Christians emphasize loving God.

    Many strive to love neighbor.

    But too often we neglect the third element hidden in plain sight:

    Love your neighbor as yourself.

    What if one of the deepest crises in the Church today is not simply a failure to love others—but a failure to receive and live from God’s love for ourselves?

    For until we learn to love ourselves as God desires, our love for others can become distorted.

    It can become anxious instead of peaceful.

    Performative instead of genuine.

    Driven by approval instead of grace.

    Holy Self-Love Is Not Selfishness

    There is a difference between pride and holy self-love.

    Pride says, I am the center.

    Holy self-love says, I am beloved.

    Pride inflates the ego.

    Holy self-love receives identity from God.

    To love ourselves rightly is not vanity. It is humility—the humility to agree with God about our worth.

    We are created in the image of God.

    Redeemed in Christ.

    Indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

    How can we despise what God treasures?

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    When We Love Ourselves in God

    When we begin to love ourselves as children of God, something changes.

    We become less interested in what others think about us
    and more interested in what God thinks.

    We stop doing good in order to be noticed.

    We stop serving to be praised.

    We stop performing for acceptance.

    Because we know we are already accepted.

    Already loved.

    Already enough in Christ.

    And from that freedom, love flows outward.

    Freely.

    Joyfully.

    Without calculation.

    Without fear.

    Love Changes How We See Others

    When we receive God’s love for ourselves, we begin seeing others differently.

    Not as rivals.

    Not as threats.

    Not as problems to manage.

    But as neighbors to cherish.

    Even enemies to forgive.

    Even strangers to welcome.

    This is the revolution Jesus announced.

    Not a religion of rule-keeping.

    A kingdom of love.

    The kind of love that washes feet.

    Feeds crowds.

    Touches lepers.

    Carries crosses.

    Rises from tombs.

    The Measure of Spiritual Maturity

    Perhaps spiritual maturity is simpler than we imagine.

    It is learning, day by day:

    To love God more completely.

    To love ourselves more truthfully.

    To love others more generously.

    This is the whole Gospel in practice.

    As Saint Augustine famously said:

    “Love, and do what you will.”

    Because where love governs the heart, the law has already been fulfilled.

    A Prayer

    Lord, teach us to love You
    with all our heart, soul, and mind.

    Teach us to receive the love
    You already have for us.

    Heal the places where we reject ourselves.

    Free us from living for human approval.

    And teach us to love our neighbor
    as ourselves—

    with the very love
    with which You love us.

    Amen.


    Final Reflection

    Jesus reduced 613 laws to two commandments.

    Not because holiness became smaller—

    but because love is greater.

    And perhaps the Church today needs to recover this forgotten truth:

    To love your neighbor well,

    you must learn to receive God’s love for yourself.

    And that may be where healing begins.

    Thank you for reading this article. Please share with others,

    Rick Herring
    thmjmj@gmail.com

  • The Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning with Thorns

    Humiliation

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    A Mystery of Silent Strength

    The Third Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary invites us into one of the most painful and humiliating moments of Christ’s Passion: the Crowning with Thorns. After being scourged, Jesus is mocked by Roman soldiers who twist together a crown of sharp thorns and press it into His head. They drape Him in a purple cloak, place a reed in His hand, and jeer, “Hail, King of the Jews.”

    This mystery is not only about physical suffering—it reveals the depth of human cruelty and the profound humility of Christ.


    The Scene of Mockery and Pain

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    Imagine the scene: exhausted, wounded, and bleeding, Jesus stands surrounded by soldiers who ridicule Him. The crown, meant as a cruel parody of kingship, digs into His scalp. Each thorn pierces His skin, causing intense pain. Yet He does not resist.

    In this moment, Christ embodies a kingship unlike any other—one not of power, but of sacrificial love.


    A Lesson in Humility

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    The Crowning with Thorns teaches us about humility in the face of humiliation. Jesus, though truly King, accepts mockery without retaliation. He shows us that true greatness is not found in domination or pride, but in love, patience, and self-giving.

    This mystery challenges us to reflect:

    • How do we respond when we are misunderstood or ridiculed?
    • Do we seek recognition, or do we quietly serve?
    • Can we remain gentle when faced with injustice?

    The Fruit of the Mystery: Moral Courage

    Meditating on this mystery helps cultivate moral courage—the strength to stand firm in truth and goodness even when it is difficult. Jesus does not abandon His mission, even under extreme suffering. His silence is not weakness; it is purposeful and redemptive.

    We are invited to imitate this courage in our daily lives:

    • To stand for what is right, even when unpopular
    • To endure hardship with faith
    • To resist the temptation of pride and ego

    A Prayerful Reflection

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    As we pray this mystery, we might say:

    Lord Jesus, crowned with thorns, teach me to be humble.
    Help me to endure trials with patience and to trust in Your love.
    Give me the courage to follow You, even when the path is difficult.


    Conclusion

    The Crowning with Thorns is a powerful reminder that Christ’s The Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning with Thorn

    The Humility of Jesus is beyond comperhension

    Rick Herring
    thmjmj@gmail.com

  • Humility Rains: Why the Heart Matters More Than the Label

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    CCC

    The difference between the two places is not perfection.

    The difference is humility.


    Pride Closes the Heart

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    Pride convinces us that we are self-sufficient. It tells us we are better than others, that we deserve more, or that we have nothing to learn.

    But pride has a hidden cost: it closes the heart.

    A proud heart cannot receive correction.
    It cannot admit weakness.
    It cannot bow.

    And without the ability to bow, the soul becomes rigid and isolated. Pride builds walls that even goodness cannot climb.

    This is why someone can appear morally good while still lacking the one quality that truly transforms the soul—humility.


    Humility Opens the Door

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    Humility is not weakness. It is clarity.

    A humble person understands three powerful truths:

    1. I am not perfect.
    2. I still have much to learn.
    3. I depend on grace beyond myself.

    This awareness softens the heart. It allows a person to change, to grow, and to receive forgiveness.

    Humility turns failure into transformation.

    That is why someone who once did wrong can still find their place in Heaven—because humility reshaped their heart.


    Humility Rains

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    Humility is like rain.

    Rain falls quietly.
    It nourishes the ground.
    It softens what was once hard.

    Without rain, the earth becomes dry and unyielding. With rain, life grows.

    In the same way, humility nourishes the soul.

    Where humility rains, compassion grows.
    Where humility rains, forgiveness becomes possible.
    Where humility rains, hearts become capable of Heaven.


    The Real Measure of a Soul

    In the end, the question is not simply whether a person was good or bad by human standards.

    The deeper question is this:

    Did humility ever rain in their heart?

    Because Heaven is not filled with perfect people.

    It is filled with people who learned to bow.

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