Religion is a very scary thing, because a pastor is in a position of power. And if you use that power badly, you ruin people's lives, and you ruin your own life.
Eugene H. PetersonRead
One way to define spiritual life is getting so tired and fed up with yourself you go on to something better, which is following Jesus.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that true spiritual growth often comes from recognizing personal dissatisfaction and seeking a higher purpose, exemplified by following Jesus.
Eugene H. Peterson articulates that a significant aspect of spiritual life involves a deep sense of weariness with one's current state or self. This dissatisfaction can serve as a catalyst for change, motivating individuals to pursue a more meaningful existence, which in his view is achievable through the teachings and example of Jesus. The underlying message emphasizes the transformative power of faith and the journey toward a greater purpose.
Themes
SpiritualityChangeFaithGrowthPurpose
In practice
Example use cases
During a spiritual retreat, one could reference this quote to inspire attendees to seek deeper fulfillment.
More from Eugene H. Peterson
All quotes βWhen we sin and mess up our lives, we find that God doesn't go off and leave us- he enters into our trouble and saves us.
Eugene H. PetersonRead
If you don't take a Sabbath, something is wrong. You're doing too much, you're being too much in charge. You've got to quit, one day a week, and just watch what God is doing when you're not doing anything.
Eugene H. PetersonRead
Christians don't simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love, cups of cold water, missions into all the world, healing and evangelism and justice in Jesus' name, hands raised in adoration of the Father, feet washed in company with the Son.
Eugene H. PetersonRead
Exile (being where we don't want to be with people we don't want to be with) forces a decision: Will I focus my attention on what is wrong with the world and feel sorry for myself? Or will I focus my energies on how I can live at my best in this place I find myself?...'I will do my best with what is here.'
Eugene H. PetersonRead
The Latin words humus, soil/earth, and homo, human being, have a common derivation, from which we also get our word 'humble.' This is the Genesis origin of who we are: dust - dust that the Lord God used to make us a human being. If we cultivate a lively sense of our origin and nurture a sense of continuity with it, who knows, we may also acquire humility.
Eugene H. PetersonRead
Similar quotes
We all have to fight to maintain our unique style and taste in a world that would have us conform.
Ralph LaurenRead
In the real world there is no nature vs. nurture argument, only an infinitely complex and moment-by-moment interaction between genetic and environmental effects
Gabor MateRead
Seal the openings, shut the doors, dull the sharpness, untie the knots, dim the light, become one with the dust. This is called the profound union.
LaoziRead
If what we need to dream, to move our spirits most deeply and directly toward and through promise, is discounted as a luxury, then we give up the core -- the fountain -- of our power, our womanness; we give up the future of our worlds. (From "Poetry is Not a Luxury")
Audre LordeRead
Within the soul of each Vietnam veteran there is probably something that says "Bad war, good soldier." Only now are Americans beginning to separate the war from the warrior.
Max ClelandRead
Rest enough for the individual man, too much and too soon, and we call it death. But for man, no rest and no ending. He must go on, conquest beyond conquest. First this little planet and all its winds and ways, and then all the laws of mind and matter that restrain him. Then the planets about him, and, at last, out across immensities to the stars. And when he has conquered all the deep space, and all the mysteries of time, still he will be beginning.
H. G. WellsRead