Hope

“The word suffering is much too grand to apply to most of our troubles, but if we don’t learn to refer the little things to God how shall we learn to refer the big ones? A definition which covers all sorts of trouble, great or small, is this: having what you don’t want, or wanting what you don’t have. The vicissitudes of travel furnish plenty of what Janet Erskine Stuart calls “blessed inconveniences,” occasions which fit both categories in our definition.”
― Elisabeth Elliot, A Path Through Suffering

“Those who speak most deeply to our hearts in times of trouble are invariably those who have suffered. They have much to give. We recognize its authenticity and willingly receive it. They testify to the truth of Solomon’s wisdom, “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” (Prv 11:25). So the cycle continues—love’s sacrifice (not only of the disfigured leaves, but even of the fair, new petals), then the fruit of that sacrifice in the blessing of others, and that blessing rebounding to the refreshment of the one who sacrificed. “If a man will let himself be lost for my sake, that man is safe” (Lk 9:24).”
― Elisabeth Elliot, A Path Through Suffering

“At a certain point, we talked about work and life and time and parenting. I told them a little bit about the changes I’d been making—slower, less task-oriented, less driven. The husband, perceptively, turned to Aaron, and asked about what this meant for him, for the shared responsibilities of our life. We all laughed, but it was a serious and valid question. Aaron said, “Yeah, things are messier. She’s not running around cleaning and fussing all the time. I have to do more, and I’m not great at that stuff, and there’s more that we just leave undone. But here’s the thing: I have my wife back. And it’s totally, completely worth it.” That’s why this journey matters. Because I was on a dangerous track, where I was giving the best of myself to people and things “out there,” while the tender inner core of my life and my home were increasingly stretched, pressurized, brittle. And now they’re not. Now the most beautiful, well-tended, truly nurtured and nourished parts of my life are the innermost ones, not the flashy public ones. That’s just as it should be.”
― Shauna Niequist, Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living

“It feels right, more and more often, to let the boys’ desires define our decisions—not in every way, but in some. The hours we’ve spent in the driveway this spring are some of the sweetest we’ve spent together. Aaron and I aren’t homebodies at all, not routine people even a little. We love to travel, love the changes of scenery and adventure. But our boys are teaching us about home, about patterns, about the most meaningful ways to spend our time. Our home is becoming more an anchor and less a place to land for a hot minute between work trips. Our driveway, of all places, is becoming the place where our life unfolds, and I’m loving the change.”
― Shauna Niequist, Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living