Every
so often I post quotations, poems, and Bible verses to trigger ideas for
vignettes or themes to include in your memoir.
I’m happy to say I have the next batch ready
for you. At least one of these quotations will remind you of a significant
experience from your past—maybe a lesson you learned, or perhaps a major
life-changing decision, or an insight that helped everything fall into place.
Or maybe one of these will help clarify why
you chose your career, or married your spouse, or stopped doing something, or
started doing something. The possibilities are endless.
So, settle in and take a couple of minutes to
ponder these inspiring quotations.
“I trembled, yet my heart’s deep trust
replied, ‘So be it, Lord.’” Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
“Wisdom is . . . understanding we’re not a
pretty box of identical pastel-colored macarons lined up in formation on tissue
paper, rather a mess of broken and crumbled biscuits at the bottom of a rumpled
package. A beautiful and beloved mess.” Linda Hoye
“I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6,
NCV). “Gracious God . . . You do not change. May Your changeless love and
reliability give me the courage to change what needs to be changed in my life.”
Lloyd John Ogilvie
“I often misinterpret the hardships of my
life as evidence that God is against me.” RyanChase. (Read his whole post, “Strength for Today, Hope for Tomorrow.”)
“The human hand—this bundle of bones, flesh,
and nerves—think of all it can do. It can bless or curse. It can draw blood or
bind a wound. It is gentle, agitated,
vicious; supplicating, ardent, tender. It can weld an iron bridge or caress a
child’s head. It possesses the power to both harm and heal.” Karl Joseph Friedrich
God is not limited by your failures,
weaknesses, feelings, thoughts, or fears. Linda K.Thomas
One song can spark a moment
One flower can wake a dream
One tree can start a forest
One bird can herald spring
One smile begins a friendship
One handclasp lifts a soul
One star can guide a ship at sea
One vote can change a nation
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness
One laugh will conquer gloom
One step must start one journey
One word must start each prayer
One hope will raise our spirits
One touch can show you care
One voice can speak with wisdom
One heart can know what’s true.
One life can make a difference.
You see, it’s up to you.
(author unknown)
“Almighty God . . . some problems You won’t
solve until I’m ready to be used by You in working out the solutions. Sometimes
You wait until I am ready to be part of the miracle You want to perform. Show
me what You want me to do.” Lloyd John Ogilvie
“Repentance is not merely saying, ‘I’m sorry.’
Repentance means your heart is broken over what you did, and more than
anything, you want God to forgive you. It doesn’t stop there. Repentance means you
choose to live differently in the future.” Linda K.Thomas
“LAUGH! Give yourself permission to laugh
—long and loud and out loud —
whenever anything strikes you as funny.
The people around you may think you’re
strange,
but sooner or later they’ll join in
even if they don’t know what you’re laughing
about.
Some diseases may be contagious,
but none is as contagious as the cure . . .
laughter.”
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it
affects everything you do.” Proverbs 4:23
“Listen... and be wise, and keep your heart
on the right path.” Proverbs 23:26
“But there he sat. Scrunched in the corner by
the door. Humble. Lowly. Dirty. One you would certainly miss if you weren’t
looking. But I didn’t miss him; he was staring intently. His eyes met mine with
both invitation and conviction. They practically asked me, Are you just like
them? Another one rushing past me to get that cup of [coffee] to warm your hands
for the day? Everything in me wanted to snap back, ‘Well, yes, I am. . . .’ But
I didn’t. . . . I stopped. . . . I drew near, and the closer I got the more I
couldn’t help but inhale his stench and observe his deep, dirty lines of
life-pain. . . . God knew. He positioned that man at the door and me heading to
it. He set up a [chance encounter] founded on the principle of love. . . . God’s
deep affection was stored up in this chance connection of two unlikely souls. It
often is . . . . What if I had pretended like I couldn’t see him or hear him
and just kept walking?” Kelly Balarie
“God says,
‘Dare to believe I have better
rewards for you
than the goals you pursue outside My will.’”
“God is not ashamed of the lowliness of human
beings. God marches right in. He chooses people as his instruments and performs
his wonders where one would least expect them. God is near to lowliness; he
loves the lost, the neglected, the unseemly, the excluded, the weak and
broken.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“At strategic times of internal war I stop and ask myself,
‘What if this is a critical moment?
What if this very thing, this very decision,
is the most important piece of the puzzle comprising my purpose?’”
"God is whispering well-nigh incessantly. Whenever
the sounds of the world die out in the soul, or sink low, then we hear the
whisperings of God. He is always whispering to us, only we do not hear, because
of the noise, hurry, and distraction which life causes as it rushes on." F. W.Faber
"Refrain from shrieking or squawking."
"Be a leader in doing what is right." Linda K. Thomas
Look at yourself through the eyes of God:
“If
you were to think of yourself as I think of you,
how different you would be.
If
you were to think of yourself as I think of you,
how glad, how healthy, how
satisfied you would be.”
Be confident that “He who began a good work
in you will carry it on to completion.” Philippians 1:6
"Hope is not optimism. Hope is a dog fight for serious people determined to make it in a difficult world. Hope is not cute or whimsical, wishful thinking. It is a resolution to trust the promises of God even when everything around looks bleak. Hope is for grown-ups." Lee Younger
“Most of the time God’s promises are in your
reach. They are not in your hand. You have to go get them.” Tony Evans
“Any grief we have gone through ourselves and
given over to the Lord’s healing is a preparation for comforting others. . . .
As one who has received comfort from Christ, I will think of myself as a
communicator of comfort.” Lloyd John Ogilvie
“Don’t let what you’re afraid of keep you
from what you were made for.” Bob Goff on Twitter
“When you realize God’s purpose for your life
isn’t just about you, He will use you in a mighty way.” Tony Evans
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others. In dangerous valleys and hazardous pathways, he will lift some bruised and beaten brother to a higher and more noble life." Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The Lord wants to use us as agents of
encouragement.” Lloyd John Ogilvie
"Do the next thing." Elisabeth Elliot
“May your roots go down deep into the soil of
God’s marvelous love. . . .” Ephesians 3:17
“. . . Our happiness does not depend on the
work we are doing, the place we are in, our friends, our health, whether people
notice us or not, praise us or not, understand us or not. No single one of the
circumstances has any power in itself to upset the joy of God, but it can
instantly and utterly quench it if we look at the circumstances instead of up
into the Face of light and love that is looking down upon us—the Face of our
own God.” Amy Carmichael
“Never once in [Scriptures] . . . is the
Christian life regarded as something in any way naturally easy.” Amy Carmichael
“If you seek the Lord your God, you will find
Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul. Return to
the Lord your God and obey Him. He is merciful and will not abandon or destroy
you.” Deuteronomy 4:29-31
“If things are tough,
remember that every flower that ever bloomed
had to go through a whole lot of dirt to get
there.”
“The stories of our ancestors inspire the
heroes of our future.” Author unknown
“Where we love is home—home that our feet may
leave, but not our hearts.” Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
“The greatest act of courage is to simply keep
facing one direction when everything in you wants to turn and run. Stand your
shaky, holy ground.” Ann Voskamp
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Psalm 51:10, NIV
What experiences or events
or turning points
came to mind when you read these quotes?
What stories can you tell about them?
What wisdom and blessing and hope
will you share with others through your memoir?
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