Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1) QUOTES

1 " Remember, Charissa—the things that annoy, irritate, and disappoint us have just as much power to reveal the truth about ourselves as anything else. Learn to linger with what provokes you. You may just find the Spirit of God moving there. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

2 " Hannah, Jesus loves you too much to let you root your identity in what you do for him, rather than who you are to him. He loves you too much to let you wrap yourself in anything other than his love for you—his deep, uncontainable, extravagant love for you. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

3 " We begin our journey to freedom when we go back to the places where we were spiritually, emotionally, and mentally wounded. But this time we go with God’s presence, help, and strength. No matter how frightening and messy it feels, God invites us to trust him. The Lord does some of his most beautiful work in the midst of the messiness and brokenness of our lives. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

4 " I feel like I’ve got to start over. Like I’m this little kid who doesn’t know anything. ’Course, given where I’ve been, starting over’s not a bad thing.” She stopped to take a breath. “Is it really possible for a fifty-year-old woman to be born again, again? "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

5 " Every day is a chance for new beginnings as old things die and new things are born. After all, that’s what being born again is about, right? The old self dies, and the new self in Christ is given. And that doesn’t happen only once, does it? The apostle Paul said he died every day. It’s a lifelong process of dying to sin and self and rising again with Christ. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

6 " in her hands and wept. On Saturday night Meg dutifully set her alarm. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

7 " When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

8 " Self-examination isn’t about being perfect. It’s about listening and responding to the Spirit. It’s about allowing God to reveal where we are hiding and resisting his love so that we can come out from hiding to receive grace and mercy and wholeness. This isn’t about beating ourselves up, and it’s not an invitation to obsessive introspection. We can’t make ourselves whole or holy. That’s the Spirit’s work. Our work is simply to cooperate with the Spirit by saying yes to God’s movement in our lives. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

9 " Getting rid of the fears is never the goal,” she said. “If we fix our eyes on that, then we won’t be looking at Jesus. Drawing close to the Lord is what we’re seeking. God is always our first desire. So we focus on the perfect love and faithfulness of God instead of the depth of our fear. We meditate on how big God is. How trustworthy God is. How loving and gracious God is. And slowly . . . Slowly we discover our trust growing, and our fears shrinking—all by God’s gift and power. Always by God’s gift and power—not by our own efforts. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

10 " Think of it this way, Mara. We don’t have the power to make the sun rise, but we can choose to be awake when it happens. Spiritual disciplines help us stay awake. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

11 " Kitty, this is humility. This is how I want you to live: knowing you have no strength on your own, but being absolutely confident that you can do everything through me. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

12 " there’s also a disabling sort of poverty that sneers you’re never good enough, no matter what you do or how hard you try. The right kind of spiritual poverty is a pathway to seeing God; the other kind prevents you from seeing who God has created you to be.” She paused. “Perhaps your journey will take you from one to the other. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

13 " you begin to pray, still and quiet yourself. Give thanks for some of the specific gifts God has given you today. Then ask the Holy Spirit to guide and direct your thoughts as you prayerfully review your day. Let the details play out like a short movie. Pay attention both to the things that gave you life and to the things that drained you. Notice where the Spirit invites you to linger and ponder. These are some questions you can adapt and use in the examen: When were you aware of God’s presence today? When did you sense God’s absence? When did you respond to God with love, faith, and obedience? When did you resist or avoid God? "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

14 " When did you feel most alive and energized? When did you feel drained, troubled, or agitated? Having reviewed the details of your day, confess what needs to be confessed. Allow God’s Spirit to bring you wholeness, grace and forgiveness. Finally, consider these questions: How will you live attentively in God’s love tomorrow? How can you structure your day in light of God’s presence, taking into account your own rhythms and responses to the movement of the Spirit? Ask for the grace to recognize the ways God makes his love known to you. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

15 " We can’t be lone rangers. You need to be fed, Hannah—not just in the sacred journey group or in your private devotions. You need other believers around you, worshiping with you and encouraging you. The very thing you’ve been avoiding is exactly what you need. Even if it’s a struggle—even if it makes you feel lost and uncomfortable. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

16 " Sometimes on the way to better, things get worse for a while. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

17 " God is always the first one to move in his relationship with us. Our movement is always a response to the Love which loved us first. It’s not about being more perfect in your faith or in your love for Jesus, Charissa—it’s about being more open to responding to his deep love for you. So no guilt or condemnation about not seeing things before now, okay? It’s the Spirit who opens the eyes of the blind. Always at the right time. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

18 " I hate the word discipline,” she said. “I already feel guilty, and I haven’t even gone yet.” “I know,” said Dawn. “Lots of people have the same reaction. But spiritual disciplines aren’t laws or rules to follow. They’re tools that help us create space in our lives so God can work within us. We can’t transform ourselves. That’s God’s work, by God’s grace. But disciplines help us cooperate with the work of the Spirit. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)

19 " only people who really trust God can vent their anger at him. "

― Sharon Garlough Brown , Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey (Sensible Shoes #1)