Quotes about Understanding

Democracy requires us to recognize others' rights even when we fundamentally disagree with them.

by embracing grief and standing beside the hurting person, we can indeed aid another's search for meaning.

Perhaps the greatest way to give suffering people time is being patient with them — giving them room to doubt, cry, question and work out strong and often extreme emotions.

Not until history has run its course will we understand how "all things work together for good." Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep," advised the apostle Paul (Romans 12:15), wise words that apply especially in times of crisis.

The Bible's many fierce passages on sin appear in a new light once I understand God's desire to press me toward repentance, the doorway to grace.

It makes a huge difference whether I treat a nonbeliever as someone who is wrong rather than as someone who is on the way but lost.

a suffering person needs: love, and not knowledge and wisdom.

There is almost a sensual longing for communion with others who have a large vision.

The Kingdom cannot be learned like other subjects, such as science, geography or history. The Kingdom is learned only through revelation by the Spirit. It cannot be explained, contained or controlled—thus it is unexplainable, uncontainable and uncontrollable. It is not taught as much as it is caught—and only through the Spirit can it be caught. It cannot be embraced, explained, applied, pursued or entered without the Spirit of God.

When speaking to or about another person, ask yourself if what you are about to say will meet their need: Necessary — Is it necessary to say this? Encourage — Will this encourage? Will it make them feel better? Edify — Will it edify? Will it build them up and make them stronger as a result of what you would say? Dignify — Will it dignify that person? That's the way Jesus treated other people; he gave them a sense of dignity. Criticism

Sometimes you just have to extend a little grace to people. Not because they deserve it - but because we don't deserve it either.