Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering. The love of God is of a different nature altogether. It does not hate tragedy. It never denies reality. It stands in the very teeth of suffering.
Interpretation
True love transcends the desire to shield loved ones from pain and embraces the reality of suffering.
In this quote, Elisabeth Elliot emphasizes that human love often seeks to protect others from suffering, viewing it as a negative force. However, she argues that the love of God is fundamentally different; it acknowledges and accepts suffering as part of the human experience, standing firm in the face of tragedy while remaining unconditional and unwavering.
In practice
This quote can be shared in a sermon to discuss the nature of divine love.
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.
O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art As glorious to this night, being o'er my head As is a winged messenger of heaven
There are two ways to reach me: by way of kisses or by way of the imagination. But there is a hierarchy: the kisses alone don't work.
One thought of thee puts all the pomp to flight;_x000D_ _x000D_ Priests, tapers, temples, swim before my sight.
If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were loved by wife, then thee.
In love, unlike most other passions, the recollection of what you have had and lost is always better than what you can hope for in the future.
And you will remember that love is not getting, but giving; not a wild dream of pleasure, and a madness of desire β oh no, love is not that β it is goodness, and honour, and peace, and pure living β yes, love is that; and it is the best thing in the world, and the thing that lives longest.
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