Daybreakers: 365 Eye-Opening Reflections
Clifford Williams
Sorin Books 2002; Wipf & Stock Publishers 2008
123 pages
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“The first half of the book contains the bad news—things are worse than we imagine (“An exalted sense of our importance seeps into nearly every thought about ourselves.”). But things are also far better than we imagine, and the second half of the book explains why this is so (“True listening gives grace.”).
“Williams is a wise and observant writer, showing repeatedly that self-awareness is the only sure way to growth.” —Kevin Axe, Faith Links
“Clifford Williams's latest book, Daybreakers: 365 Eye-Opening Reflections, offers an entire year's worth of mantras and concepts for overcoming spiritual ambivalence. Beginning with Week 1 (which covers "pursuing the eternal") and running through Week 52 ("living for eternity"), Williams focuses on themes such as restlessness and letting go. Each week offers a short explanation of the theme, then gives a specific phrase to ruminate on each day. The entries are not date-specific, so readers may begin the book at any time during the calendar year.” —Publishers Weekly © 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Contents:
First Quarter: Where Are We Headed?
1 Pursuing the Eternal
2 Discovering Our Deepest Desires
3 Intimations of Eternity
4 Yearning for Something More
5 Restlessness
6 Looking for Meaning
7 Wasting Life
8 The Hidden Self
9 Secrets
10 Self-Watching
11 Spiritual Ambivalence
12 A Tangled Mess
13 Strangers to Ourselves
Second Quarter: Obstacles Along the Way
14 Wanting to Be Better than Others
15 Looking for Admiration
16 Admiring Ourselves
17 Justifying Ourselves
18 Pretending
19 Appearing Virtuous
20 The Real Thing
21 Sly and Crafty Enemies
22 The Lure of Imagination
23 Busyness
24 A Bundle of Desires
25 Ulterior Aims
26 Inner Temptations
Third Quarter: Becoming New
27 Being Open to Grace
28 Wrestling With Grace
29 Allowing Ourselves to Be Loved
30 Letting Go
31 Gaining a New Identity
32 Accepting Ourselves
33 Acquiring Single-Minded Faith
34 Sustaining Faith
35 Keeping Faith Passionate
36 Being in a Community of Grace
37 Recognizing the Wounded
38 Giving Grace
39 Receiving Grace
Fourth Quarter: Moving Toward the Eternal
40 Reflecting on Goodness
41 Loving
42 Listening
43 Confessing and Forgiving
44 Living Together in Love
45 Shrinking the Expansive Ego
46 Moving Beyond the Self
47 Observing Moral Beauty
48 Living Largely
49 Looking for Goodness
50 Staying Vibrant
51 Finding Meaning
52 Living for Eternity
Week 41: Loving
The one thing everyone needs is to be loved. Those with failure in their lives need to feel
accepted. Those with painful memories need support; those who are struggling to make
sense of their lives need encouragement; those with guilt need forgiveness; those who are
battling low self-esteem need shoring up. Love does all of these things. It accepts, supports,
encourages, forgives, and shores up.
If everyone needs to be loved more, it follows that other people need to love more. We, of
course, are those other people. When we love, people sense that their lives are worthwhile.
They are encouraged and feel accepted. They can deal with failure and disabilities. With
our loving, people are enabled to lead richer lives.
Sunday: The best love comes from an overflowing heart.
Monday: More courage is required to love than to walk two blocks through a gang-infested
territory at night.
Tuesday: Finding untainted love is as exhilarating as it is surprising.
Wednesday: People change more when we love them without trying to change them than
when we actively try to change them.
Thursday: Our delight in another’s presence exhibits itself on our faces.
Friday: If we have never been the recipient of real love, we may have to look for people
who will love us before looking for people to love.
Saturday: The core of love is to be present to another without trying to get something for
ourselves.
From Daybreakers: 365 Eye-Opening Reflections (Sorin Books, 2001, 98-99. Copyright 2002 by Clifford Williams. Used with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
Also: With All That We Have, Why Aren't We Satisfied? (Sorin Books 2001; (Wipf & Stock 2008)
Buy Daybreakers from the publisher
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