We rant and rave against God for the evil we have to endure but hardly blink at the evil in our own hearts.
Subdue your heart to match your circumstances.
But that's the same for everyone if we let society determine our value," Steve explained as he sat down on the piano bench. "We always lose when we evaluate ourselves according to someone else's ideas or standards. And there are as many standards as there are people. A jock measures you by your athletic ability; a student by your brains; a steady by your looks. It's a losing battle," he said, striking a sour piano chord for added emphasis. "We have to forget about what people say or think and recognize that God's values are the only important ones.
The weaker I am, the harder I must lean on God's grace; the harder I lean on him, the stronger I discover him to be, and the bolder my testimony to his grace.
True wisdom is found in trusting God when you can't figure things out.
This paralysis is my greatest mercy.
I wished God were like He used to be, a few notches lower. I wanted Him to be lofty enough to help me but not so uncontrollable. I longed for His warm presence, times when He seemed safer.
The more righteous God appeared, the more resentful I became.
Probably, I thought, my suffering and training is a lifelong process. It will end only when I go to be with Christ.
My wheelchair was the key to seeing all this happen especially since God’s power always shows up best in weakness. So here I sit glad that I have not been healed on the outside, but glad that I have been healed on the inside. Healed from my own self-centered wants and wishes.
I'd learned that you can't wear a crown unless you bear a cross that if our Savior had learned obedience through suffering, we should expect the same.
God wants us to be a good example to others who are observing us.
[Joni Eareckson Tada]
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