#afflict

The Lord's mercy often rides to the door of our heart upon the black horse of affliction. ↗

— Charles H. Spurgeon

#cross-bearing #mercy #trials #horses

As Christians, if sin were the reason for our afflictions, then we should all be in ICU" ~ R. Alan Woods [2012] ↗

— R. Alan Woods

#sins #sins-of-omission #r-alan-woods

Although there are several 'schools of thought' relating to why God allows mental, emotional, and physical afflictions, it essentially remains a mystery" ~ R. Alan Woods [2012] ↗

— R. Alan Woods

#mystery #mystery-of-life #r-alan-woods

I had these made special. The design is raised instead of carved in. Can you feel it?" Dillon asked. Hunter ran his fingertip over the outside of the ring. He nodded as a tear formed in the corner of his eye. "Can you tell me what it is?" Dillon asked quietly. Hunter nodded and his voice choked. "Two people…" "Two men," Dillon corrected. "Two men," Hunter said, "pulling each other into the center of a circle." Dillon watched his single tear slip and start sliding down his cheek. "Would you step into that circle with me, Hunter?" Hunter nodded, a small sound escaping him. "Yes. ↗

— Brandon Shire

#design

Christ literally walked in our shoes and entered into our affliction. Those who will not help others until they are destitute reveal that Christ's love has not yet turned them into the sympathetic persons the gospel should make them. ↗

— Timothy Keller

#jesus #sympathy #love

(...)"He said we all have this different idea of what love is and that's what makes our circle. The more ideas and misconceptions you throw in, the larger the diameter and the harder it is to connect with someone. We," he said, squeezing Hunter's hand and signaling Margie and everyone around them, "all sit around the edge looking at everyone else around the circle. Sometimes we just settle for the person next to us because it's easy or convenient and we skip our way around its circumference, never really knowing what love is all about." He took a sip of his Coke and kept his eyes on Margie. "But other times, you see that person across from you, staring back at you, and you fight like hell trying to get across while he does the same. If you're lucky, there's a rope you can toss over and help draw each other in, never looking away, never worrying about those still on the circumference; just you and him, pulling each other in, deeper and deeper." ↗

— Brandon Shire

#dillon #hunter #margie #love

having the people you love tell you they love you and mean it . . . it never goes out of style. Since we're made in God's image, this must be from Him, so even God must need an 'atta boy,' an out-loud, in-your-head 'Thank you, great job on that sunset, and the platypus was a birlliant fun idea.' Maybe that's why we're supposed to pray the way we do, because without it God would be lonely ↗

— Laurell K. Hamilton

#love

From the beginning of our history the country has been afflicted with compromise. It is by compromise that human rights have been abandoned. ↗

— Charles Sumner

#afflicted #been #beginning #compromise #country

Of all afflictions, the worst is self-contempt. ↗

— Berthold Auerbach

#worst

God's way of answering the Christian's prayer for more patience, experience, hope and love often is to put him into the furnace of affliction. ↗

— Richard Cecil

#answering #christian #experience #furnace #god