Gerald L. Sittser > Quotes

“Gifts of grace come to all of us. But we must be ready to see and willing to receive these gifts. It will require a kind of sacrifice, the sacrifice of believing that, however painful our losses, life can still be good — good in a different way then before, but nevertheless good. I will never recover from my loss and I will never got over missing the ones I lost. But I still cherish life. . . . I will always want the ones I lost back again. I long for them with all my soul. But I still celebrate the life I have found because they are gone. I have lost, but I have also gained. I lost the world I loved, but I gained a deeper awareness of grace. That grace has enabled me to clarify my purpose in life and rediscover the wonder of the present moment.”
― Jerry Sittser, A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows through Loss

“It is how we respond to loss that matters. That response will largely determine the quality, the direction, and the impact of our lives.”
― Jerry Sittser

“The quickest way for anyone to reach the sun and the light of day is not to run west, chasing after the setting sun, but to head east, plunging into the darkness until one comes to the sunrise.”
― Gerald Lawson Sittser, A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows through Loss

“My prayer as you read this book is that you will find comfort for the disappointment of unanswered prayer, but also courage to continue on the epic journey that prayer is.”
― Jerry Sittser, When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer

“I did not get over the loss of my loved ones; rather, I absorbed the loss into my life, like soil receives decaying matter, until it became a part of who I am.”
― Gerald Lawson Sittser, A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows through Loss

“I see now that my faith was becoming an ally rather than an enemy because I could vent anger freely, even toward God, without fearing retribution.”
― Jerry Sittser, A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows through Loss

“The good that may come out of the loss does not erase its badness or excuse the wrong done. Nothing can do that.”
― Jerry Sittser

“But life here is not the end. Reality is more than we think it to be. There is another and greater reality that envelops this earthly one. Earth is not outside heaven, as the philosopher Peter Kreeft wrote; it is heaven’s workshop, heaven’s womb.”
― Gerald Lawson Sittser, A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows through Loss

“prayer is the one discipline in the Christian faith that makes us feel entirely dependent on God and thus sets us up for profound disappointment when God doesn’t respond to our needs and requests.”
― Jerry Sittser, When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer

“the book is intended to show how it is possible to live in and be enlarged by loss, even as we continue to experience it.”
― Jerry Sittser

“I had no way of anticipating the adjustments I would have to make and the suffering I would have to endure in the months and years ahead.”
― Jerry Sittser

“Although unanswered prayer is indeed a theme of the book, it is not the heart of the book, for unanswered prayer describes a problem but offers no solutions.”
― Jerry Sittser, When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer

“The central theme of the book is that prayer is best understood as a long, sometimes perilous, epic journey that eventually leads to triumph.”
― Jerry Sittser, When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer

“The proconsul ordered Polycarp to deny Christ and swear to Caesar, which shows that Pliny’s policy had become official. Polycarp refused, confessing that, as Christ had been faithful to him for so many years, he would be faithful to Christ. “If you imagine that I will swear by Caesar’s fortune, as you put it, pretending not to know who I am, I will tell you plainly, I am a Christian.” The proconsul threatened to throw Polycarp to the beasts, but Polycarp retorted, “Call them. . . . Do what you want.”9 Meanwhile, Polycarp remained serene and calm, full of courage and joy. A crier then walked to the middle of the arena and announced three times over, “Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian.” And the crowd, boiling with anger, charged, “This fellow is the teacher of Asia, the father of the Christians, the destroyer of our gods, who teaches numbers of people not to sacrifice or even worship.”10 The enraged crowd demanded his death. Soldiers bound Polycarp to the stake, stacked wood around it, and set it on fire. Encircling him, the flames did not and—according to the account—could not consume him, as if held back by a protective curtain. Meanwhile, Polycarp prayed, “I bless Thee, because thou hast deemed me worthy of this day and hour, to take my part in the number of the martyrs, in the cup of thy Christ, for ‘resurrection to eternal life’ of soul and body.” The proconsul then ordered execution by sword.”
― Gerald L. Sittser, Resilient Faith: How the Early Christian "Third Way" Changed the World