Saints spring and thrive most internally, when they are most externally afflicted. Afflictions are the mother of virtue.
Interpretation
True strength and virtue often emerge from facing hardships and challenges.
In this quote, Thomas Brooks suggests that individuals, particularly saints or virtuous people, find their deepest strength and moral character through external struggles and afflictions. Rather than being deterred by challenges, these hardships nurture and cultivate virtue, indicating that adversity plays a crucial role in developing one’s inner strength and goodness.
In practice
During a speech about resilience, one could reference this quote to emphasize the importance of overcoming difficulties.
Remember this-all the sighing, mourning, sobbing, and complaining in the world, does not so undeniably evidence a man to be humble, as his overlooking his own righteousness, and living really and purely upon the righteousness of Christ.
Grace and glory differ very little; the one is the seed, the other is the flower; grace is glory militant, glory is grace triumphant.
He is the best preacher, not that tickles the ear, but that breaks the heart.
Ah! sinner, remember this, there is no way on earth effectually to be rid of the guilt, filth, and power of sin, but by believing in a Saviour. It is not resolving, it is not complaining, it is not mourning, but believing, that will make thee divinely victorious over that body of sin that to this day is too strong for thee, and that will certainly be thy ruin, if it be not ruined by a hand of faith.
Self is the only oil that makes the chariot-wheels of the hypocrite move in all religious concerns.
Humility can weep over other men's weaknesses, and joy and rejoice over their graces.
Hammer your thoughts into unity.
Don’t worry about things. Don’t push. Just do your work and you’ll survive. The important thing is to have a ball, to be joyful, to be loving and to be explosive. Out of that comes everything and you grow.
However impressed we may be with NVC concepts, it is only through practice and application that our lives are transformed.
Knowledge that does not generate achievement is a pale and bloodless thing, unworthy of mankind.
No enduring improvement can occur without righteous exercise of agency. Do not attempt to override agency. The Lord himself would not do that. Forced obedience yields no blessings.
On a deeper level you are already complete. When you realize that, there is a joyous energy behind what you do.
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