Making Restitution
In the public arena, our emphasis upon restitution is based upon our sense of justice. The one who commits the crime should pay for the wrongdoing. In contrast, in the private sphere of family and other close relationships, our desire for restitution is almost always based upon our need for love. After being hurt deeply, we need the reassurance that the person who hurt us still loves us. After all, successful family relationships and true friendships are ultimately based on love.
Looking for the Best in the Situation
A lot of people know the name Thomas Edison. They know that he was a famous inventor but they don’t usually know that what really made him stand out was that he was the first person to get the idea to “mass produce” great ideas.
He built a huge factory in New Jersey and gathered together the greatest inventors from around the world into one place.
When Thomas Edison was sixty-seven years old, his factory was destroyed in a fire, burnt to the ground. He lost everything. At 67 years old, what would your response have been? This was his response the next morning:
“There’s value in disaster. All of our mistakes are burned up. Thank God, we can start anew.”
There is a quote in the Bible, “For as a man thinks within himself, so he is.” (Proverbs 23:7) Life is hard, setbacks and disappointments will come. Our decision is not in whether or not we will face these times but the attitude that we will have when they come.
If that was the attitude of one of the greatest minds in history, what should be ours?