A pastor friend of mine once told me there are just some things you cannot see through dry eyes. We tend to think we would see better if our eyes were dry and clear, but it is when we are broken, crumbled, and lost in desperate prayer that things make the most sense. p. xxiii
“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.” Nahum 1:7 p. 15
There are three “isms” that we all battle: narcissism, the love of self; hedonism, the love of pleasure; and materialism, the love of things. All sin can generally be traced back to love of self, love of pleasure, love of things. p. 38
The beauty of our suffering–especially in friendship, family, and marriage–is the complexity it brings to relationship. When suffering enters the picture, we must bind together and find strength we didn’t know we had. When one is weak, the others must be strong. p. 49
“I know you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” Job 42:2 p. 118
Brokenness often invites the miraculous. p. 142
“Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” 1 Peter 4:12-13 p. 151
