Some quotes that have made me think…

Peace is the rest our soul receives when we embrace our circumstances as from the hand of our God. The test of the reality of our God and the veracity of our peace is the depth of pain this peace is able to handle.

I had this written down in my journal. I am sure the idea came from someone much smarter than I, but the word order came from me.

Oddly enough, Christians have labeled Naomi “bitter Naomi.” But neither our sin nor our environment defines us. We are not trapped by our own moodiness or despair. We can change because an infinite God is personally involved in the details of our lives. As bearers of God’s image, we can cry out for mercy and see God act in our circumstances or in our hearts. Jesus’s “judge not” is a call to give people space to change, to back off from locking in on exclusively negative views. Especially in long-term relationships, we run the risk of locking onto a person’s negatives and going pagan on them.

Miller, A Loving Life, 130

Here are five bad moves that our hearts can make when life isn’t fair: 1. Self-pity. Nourishing an internal-feeling world of victim; compassion turned inward. 2. Bitterness. A simmering demand that God make my world just. 3. Cynicism and mocking. Restoring balance by mocking the other person. 4. Gossip and slander. Creating a community of empathizers who see my pain. 5. Emotional revenge. Withdrawing my heart to punish the other person.

Miller, A Loving Life, 133