Rick Warren, one of my all-time favorite authors and speakers, has a way with words and memorable phrases.  They aren’t just entertaining either; they’re very useful and life-changing in spiritual matters.

Here are some of my favorite phrases he uses: Of himself, he says, “Yes, I’m an addict–I’m addicted to changed lives!” I love that one,  because it describes me too.  I write these blogs and do all the speaking I do not because Body for Life, especially the spiritual aspect of it, has done so much for me and for others as well, and seeing others “get it” really does give me a rush! If you have to have an addiction, what more could you ask for than being addicted to helping others change their lives for the better?

Here’s another “Warrenism.”  “Resentment is the result of what others have done to you; guilt is the result of what you’ve done to others. We are not made to live with guilt or resentment,  because we were made to treat others and be treated by others with respect and good intentions.” [this is actually a paraphrase of a much longer talk on the topic.]  I love this saying, because  guilt and resentment cause more problems than all other human emotions put together–except fear. Guilt causes physical and mental deterioration, hiding and low self-esteem. It often leads to alcoholism or other chemical abuse. Resentment has exactly the same effects. Every twelve step or similar recovery program in the country recognizes these facts by steps that require people to deal quickly and thoroughly with guilt and resentment so that the cycle of dependency can be broken.  What I love about Warren’s statement is that he nails the reason that guilt and resentment harm us so much–we were not designed to treat or be treating cruelly. That’s just not the fuel we should run on.

One more: “Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it’s kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. …You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you’re going into self-centeredness, which is ‘my problem, my issues, my pain.’ But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.”

I don’t think I even need to tell you why I love that quote so much. Simply, it directs us to the solution and directs us away from self-centeredness or self-pity.

I hope you enjoyed these. More importantly, I hope you remember them and put them into practice. They’ll help you love others, love God, and love yourself appropriately–which is the true secret of the good life!