“We live in a time when everyone’s goal is to be perpetually healthy and constantly happy. . . . If any one of us fails to live up to the standards that are advertised as normative, we are labeled as a problem to be solved, and a host of well-intentioned people rush to try out various cures on us. . . . The gospel offers a different view of suffering: in suffering we enter the depths; we are at the heart of things; we are near to where Christ was on the cross.” —Eugene Peterson
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
Carolyn Custis James 
What a beautiful and thought-provoking quote. It reminds me of a recent lesson I’ve learned in my spiritual life — that God isn’t primarily concerned with “fixing” the problems in my life. He is more interested in my salvation, sanctification, and developing / disciplining me into the woman he’s created me to be. Sometimes God allows us to hurt because it is will be the most effective path to growth. He doesn’t want a bunch of sheltered, delicate wimps. He wants His children to have strong character; to feel the heights and depths of life and emotion, and to realize that He is Lord over it all. Thanks for such a great quote, Carolyn!
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Yes, I love this quote. Peterson violates the mistaken belief that Jesus is our ticket to prosperity and happiness instead of the entrée to a real relationship with God. Such faulty thinking forces us to hide our struggles, isolates instead of bringing us together, makes the Gospel less-believable, and keeps us from engaging God and going deeper with Him in our pain. Peterson’s wise words point us to true freedom and a path to growth.
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I love this quote. So often we miss the blessing of suffering as we attempt to flee pain instead of lean into it on the shoulder of Christ. That’s true prosperity…head resting, tears falling on the beloved One.
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