Let it Shine

From Matthew: Jesus says "You are the light of the world. [no one] lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Your light must shine before others, so that they can see your good deeds and glorify God."

Louis Lavelle, a 1950's Christian philosopher and professor from France, suggests a gentle approach to shining. He notes that "The will stiffens when another would bend or break it, but relaxes in the presence of gentleness. Only gentleness wins battles without fighting them, and transforms foes into friends." Remember this when you face opposition. Try to silence the tumult of your own passions, and get your emotional reaction under control. Approach the disagreement in a docile and sensitive way so that you can "follow the subtle and sensitive contours of reality".

On the ranch the cowboys must get the cattle to go into the pens, get on a truck or go through the chute. This is best accomplished not by brutality, which often results in injury, but by keeping the cattle calm and moving at an easy gait.