Status Updates From The Scars That Have Shaped ...

“I do not wish a pain-free life on anyone I love. A pain-free life is not a blessing. A pain-free life yields little of lasting value. The rain God sends does indeed demonstrate his faithfulness” (123).

“God’s glory is on display for the angels and demons when people demonstrate that their hearts are satisfied in God alone rather than in his gifts” (132).

“This path of suffering, of heartache, of loneliness takes me directly to my Savior. Which is the only path worth taking” (115).

Vaneetha will be added among the list of saints I am thankful for.

“I have learned from saints, living and dead, that I need to thank God for my deepest suffering. Believers who have thanked God for blindness, for prison, and for quadriplegia. Unthinkable suffering, which most would consider unbearable, these Christ-followers have seen as God’s gifts. Gifts wrapped in black, but gifts nonetheless” (104).

Dare I say again that this is one of the best resources I’ve read on a biblical perspective of suffering. Wow. I have recommended it twice to friends/family this past week. Such a good perspective shift when in the trenches. Vaneetha has such a wonderful voice on this. “Wheelchairs and Worship” has been one of my favorite chapters, and a good one to read on Mother’s Day too.