reading...

"...empty mailbox, empty chair, wrong voice on the phone have no particular magic in themselves that will make a mature character out of a lonely heart. they will never produce a steady hope. not at all. the effect of my troubles depend not on the nature of the troubles themselves but on how i receive them. i can receive them with both hands in faith and acceptance, or i can rebel and reject. what they produce if i rebel and reject will be something very different from mature character. something nobody is going to like..."

"even the endurance of separation and silence and that hardest thing of all uncertainty can build in us a steady hope."

excerpts from the book: passion and purity (chapter 16)
by: elisabeth elliot

this particular chapter really resonated with me and thought i would share it. the feeling of loneliness or of being uncomfortable for a time is never welcome. but, it can be embraced with acceptance and trust because these contribute to the maturing of character - drawing us closer and closer to the one who is in control and knows us best.

once again, his grace gives me fear and his grace draws me near...