Tim Keller has much wisdom to offer.  Here he shares how he keeps his heart soft toward the Lord.

“I always pray in the morning, Lord make me happy enough in the grace of Jesus to avoid being proud, cold, scared, and hooked.”

• Now, by proud I mean what you think, too self-congratulatory. And maybe disdainful of people who I don’t think have it together.
• Cold means I’m just too absorbed in my concerns to really be compassionate and gracious and warm and joyful to the people around me.
• Scared means I’m just obviously too anxious and worried.
• Hooked means…when you’re overworked, it means for me…eating. Eating things I shouldn’t eat just because it’s a way of keeping my energy up, and also because it’s a way of rewarding myself. Or looking at women more than once.