The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.
Interpretation
True fulfillment comes from inner strength and faith rather than external conditions.
Elisabeth Elliot's quote emphasizes that one's true source of strength and identity lies in their inner spiritual life and relationship with Christ, rather than in changing their external circumstances. This perspective shifts the focus from seeking fulfillment through external situations to cultivating a strong internal faith that provides peace and purpose in any situation.
In practice
In a speech about overcoming adversity, one might use this quote to highlight the importance of inner strength.
We are not asked to SEE," said Amy. "Why need we when we KNOW?" We know--not the answer to the inevitable Why, but the incontestable fact that it is for the best. "It is an irreparable loss, but is it faith at all if it is 'hard to trust' when things are entirely bewildering?
Prayer lays hold of God's plan and becomes the link between His will and its accomplishment on earth. Amazing things happen, and we are given the privilege of being the channels of the Holy Spirit's prayer.
What sort of world might it have been if Eve had refused the servants offer and had said to him instead, βlet me not be like God. Let me be what I was made to be - let me be a woman'?
Worship is not an experience. Worship is an act, and this takes discipline. We are to worship ''in spirit and in truth.'' Never mind about the feelings. We are to worship in spite of them.
Restlessness and impatience change nothing except our peace and joy. Peace does not dwell in outward things, but in the heart prepared to wait trustfully and quietly on Him who has all things safely in His hands.
If your goal is purity of heart, be prepared to be thought very odd.
You live out the confusions until they become clear.
The Spirit bears witness. Ecstasy and enlightenment, inspiration and intuition are not necessary. Happy is the man who is worthy of these; but woe unto us if we wait for such experiences; woe unto us if we do not perceive that these things are of secondary importance.
A man is hindered and distracted in proportion as he draws outward things to himself.
The proverb says that 'The answer to a fool is silence'. Observation, however, indicates that almost any other answer will have the same effect in the long run.
No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has escaped the kingdom of night.
Each day, life will send you little windows of opportunity. Your destiny will ultimately be defined by how you respond to these windows of opportunity. Shrink from them and your life will be small, feel the fear and run to them anyway, and you life will be big. Life's just too short to play little.
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