Quotes and Thoughts from "A Lifetime of Wisdom"

I have been reading Joni Earekson Tada's book "A Lifetime of Wisdom", and I just finished it today. As I felt it spoke a lot to me where I stand today, I thought I would post about it.


"Here is a ruby, hard-won through long years: We can't help glancing behind us at times to consider where we've been, and it's natural for us to wonder what awaits us around the bend... But remember this: there is no more important moment in your life than this one. Take it slowly. Look at today and.... pay attention to what you want to do with it."


Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matt. 6:34)


"'Grace is God drawing us closer and closer to himself.' [quote by a Dr. Packer] In the long run, how does He do that? By shielding us? By deflecting every assault from the world, the flesh, and the devil? By protecting us from difficult, even heartbreaking circumstances? Will growing grace in our lives look like summer days, increasing success, and a smoother ride?"


Ah, what a lesson for me to learn. How many times have I desired in such strong sincerity for an easier life. How many times I have thought that perhaps the reason I have difficulty in my spiritual and emotional life is because I have a difficult life? But how much I should know that an easy life isn't a life that is good for me!


"Yet it is usually strange answers to prayer that hide the deepest, best, and most beautiful purposes. When God denies your dearest desire, get ready to open up your heart even wider, for He will become that desire himself. 'I am... your very great reward.' [But] Abraham wasn't satisfied with God's answer, because his mind was locked on earthly things - a child, a son, an heir, a family. So often, in our troubles and human limitations, we're not satisfied either. God understands, 'For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust' (Psalm 103:14).... If only we could see with the eyes of faith just a little bit deeper into eternal realities. When we spurn God's offer of more of Himself in exchange for our cherished desires, it's a little like asking our dad for a nickel and being crushed with disappointment because he givers us all the gold in Fort Knox.  The truth is, if God says no to one of our requests, it is only that He might say yes to something infinitely more valuable and beyond our reckoning. Sometimes the process of weaning us from a lesser good in order to give us something much greater simply breaks our heart. The rich young ruler walked away sad after Jesus had offered him rewards in heaven and His own close companionship in exchange for his meager earthly portfolio. He just didn't understand. He just couldn't see. I wonder if, before he died, he ever did."


This is very, very true. I have been utterly disappointed many times, and I have wondered what good God plans to have come forth from such. And it is so good to know this. So good.


"Waiting for the Lord means putting His desires before our own, believing that He will meet our needs with generosity and love in His good time... Your itchiness to have things your way has you ready to settle for something of lower quality or less value... Ah, but while we may regret a hasty decision a million times over, we will never regret waiting for the Lord. You can never go wrong as you wait and pray and still yourself in His presence, seeking his mind and heart. He will end up giving you something better. He will give you rubies of wisdom you couldn't obtain any other way. And He will give you Himself... The waiting will be worth it."


"Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!" Psalm 27:14


"Besides, answers are for the head. They don't always reach the problem where it hurts - in the gut and the heart. When people are sorely suffering, they are like hurting children... [they] don't want explanations, answers or reasons why; they want their daddy to pick them up, pat them on the back and reassure them that everyone is going to be ok. Our heartfelt plea is for assurance - Fatherly assurance - that there is an order to reality that far transcends our problems. We want to know that, somehow, everything will be okay. We amble on along our philosophical path, then - Bam! - we get hit with suffering. No longer is our fundamental view of life providing a sense of meaning or a sense of security in our world. Suffering has not only rocked the boat, it's capsized it. We need assurance that the world is not splitting apart at the seams. [And so] God must be at the center of things. He must be in the center of our suffering. What's more, He must be our Daddy. Personal and compassionate. This is our cry. God, like a father, doesn't just give advice. He gives Himself.... He is our hope. He is our shield and very great reward... If you are the One at the center of the universe holding it together, if everything moves, breathes, and has its being in you, you can do no more than give yourself. It's the only answer that ultimately matters. It's the only hope that truly satisfies."


This is true. I know from first-hand experience, like most everyone else knows too.


"When severe suffering and spontaneous joy mingle in a human soul in the same moment, something powerful results... and the resulting reaction ripples through time, space and beyond eternity. All who see it are caught up in wonder. And more people do see it than we might believe possible."


That gives me tingles. Jesus... Himself... showed the ultimate collision of joy and suffering at the cross. "For the joy set before him, he endured the cross."






Ah, well, I'm terribly tired of typing. I had many other quotes I liked, but this shall be all for now. :) Enjoy, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.