Sociologists have a theory of the looking-glass self: You become what the most important person in your life (wife, father, boss, etc.) thinks you are. How would my life change if I truly believed the Bible's astounding words about God's love for me, if I looked in the mirror and saw what God sees?
Philip YanceyThe Bible never belittles human disappointment ... but it does add one key word: temporary.
Philip YanceyI doubt God keeps track of how many arguments we win; God may indeed keep track of how well we love.
Philip YanceyTrue healing, of deep connective tissue, takes place in community. Where is God when it hurts? Where God's people are.
Philip YanceyThunderously, inarguably, the Sermon on the Mount proves that before God we all stand on level ground: murderers and temper-throwers, adulterers and lusters, thieves and coveters. We are all desperate, and that is in fact the only state appropriate to a human being who wants to know God. Having fallen from the absolute Ideal, we have nowhere to land but in the safety net of absolute grace.
Philip Yancey