Today on SHLOG I shared some quotes I found that have helped me feel normal about wrestling with scripture and have inspired me to keep at it. This got me thinking about the power that other people’s words have over how we think, and how many great quotes have kept me on course or made me change course completely - or at least were part of that process.
It’s been in my signature since I’ve been on the board. It makes me stop and think about my childhood memories and the fact that everyday, whether or not I’m trying, I make deposits in my childrens’ memory banks. What kind of memories am I depositing?
"I remember my mom was on some message board thingy a lot.” I can hear it now. On Dr.Phil it all comes out. “I knew she had a problem when one day she said to me, ‘You DO have homework tonight mister because yesterday you said to me open bracket quote end bracket I have a ton of homework tomorrow open bracket forward slash quote close bracket.’”
But, if you notice when I’m on...usually during the day while they’re at school, or after they go to bed. You will rarely see me on from 4:00-10:00pm. That’s their time.
"You know your mother told me to come in here and kill you.” My father to me after I said “one more word” to my mom during an arguement. My teenage years will not be remembered as those that were my brightest.
Every poet and musician and artist, but for Grace, is drawn away from love of the thing he tells, to love of the telling till, down in Deep Hell, they cannot be interested in God at all but only in what they say about Him.
i have a quote from my mentor that gets me through the crazy stressful times (like finals lol) with a laugh.
“keep smiling - people will wonder why and then you can come up with some type of creative reason. it will give your brain something NICE to do.” - mrs. l
and another of hers that is a favorite of mine:
“[in the journey of life] keep putting one foot in front of the other. but remember to look up; the Scenery is beautiful.” - mrs. l
“I remember my mom was on some message board thingy a lot.” I can hear it now. On Dr.Phil it all comes out. “I knew she had a problem when one day she said to me, ‘You DO have homework tonight mister because yesterday you said to me open bracket quote end bracket I have a ton of homework tomorrow open bracket forward slash quote close bracket.’”
I showed this to my kids and they got a huge laugh out of it!
“You know your mother told me to come in here and kill you.” My father to me after I said “one more word” to my mom during an arguement. My teenage years will not be remembered as those that were my brightest.
Beth
Beth, I don’t know whether or not to laugh...I can so totally see me saying this to my husband. (My 15-year-old is the “one more word” type...can’t just say, “Okay mom.")
I wasn’t laughing at the time either. Of course I knew my dad (or my mom) would never lay a hand on me. I wish they would have at times rather than give me the “I’m very disappointed in you” speech. That one really hurt! Thankfully I didn’t get it too often. I had a great relationship with my parents which is why he could come in and say something like that to me and I knew he was joking, but telling me I’d crossed the line. My parents and I talked about everything and had no secrets. I miss them so much, especially for the grandparents my kids are missing in them.
I’ve written it before, but here’s my favorite quote:
“Oh, the comfort - the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person - having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.” -Dinah Maria Mulock Craik
I don’t know, actually. When I was in high school, a tennis tournament I was supposed to play in Kingsville, Texas was rained out, so our team went to the mall where the local library was having a fund raiser. I found an old book entitled 1000 Beautiful Things. This quote was in that book, along with some gorgeous poems, short stories, and number of other great quotes sorted by topic. To this day, it’s one of my favorite books.
I do seem to remember hearing somewhere that perhaps this was the real name of George Eliot...but I’ve never researched that.
I love that quote because it’s really who I want to be. As a small group leader at my church, I meet with a number of different women on a regular basis and we often talk about difficult things. I want to be a person who sees the heart of others and not just the emotion or frustration. I want to be that for my husband, for my children and for my friends, so that they can know that they don’t have to say things perfectly or worry about what I think about them, but that they’ll know that I’ll “keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.”
If you find anything out about the author, please share.
Kat, I read it before when you posted it, printed it out and taped it to my computer to read daily so that I can strive to be that person, too. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Another one I have taped to my computer is:
Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet.
I don’t know who wrote that one, but I struggle with this daily, especially with my job. I know this job isn’t what I’m supposed to be doing, but it’s easy, comfortable and the pay isn’t bad. So I stay. Several positions have opened up (and closed) at our church over the last year that fit me, but still I stay here. I’m still struggling to just move my feet…
A right conception of God is basic not only to systematic theology but to practical Christian living as well. It is to worship what the foundation is to the temple; where it is inadequate or out of plumb the whole structure must sooner or later collapse.
-A. W. Tozer
It’s from his book “The Knowledge of the Holy”. I highly recommend it.
(My 15-year-old is the “one more word” type...can’t just say, “Okay mom.")
