Home > Work > I Grew Up Little: Finding Hope in a Big God
1 " Hope comes as a companion; she slips her arm around your shoulder and offers to help you stumble toward change "
― Patsy Clairmont , I Grew Up Little: Finding Hope in a Big God
2 " I realize that, here on earth, not everyone was meant to stay in our lives for extended lengths of time. I have to remind myself of that because basically I want everyone I care for to always be a part of my string of pearls. Some folks just breeze through; others settle in for a season and then move on; a few hunker down for the long haul. Those who settle in for a lifetime do so not necessarily because they are braver, more loving, or ever more loyal, but because they were meant to. It was part of the plan. So those who have left us must also be considered part of the ultimate plan. "
3 " I’ve watched the Lord press seeds into the sometimes resistant soil of my heart that I might grow out of myself and become more like Him. Sometimes he does the planting alone in the night, when it’s just Him and me. But usually God uses others to plant and water the hope that I can do exceedingly more through Christ than I ever dreamed. "
4 " God’s seeds of hope are often sown by people and books. "
5 " It seems God had a plan I would never had thought of, and he decided to spring it on me in a most unexpected way. "
6 " I also made my bed every day, fixed my hair, applied my makeup, and washed the dishes. The result of being faithful in these small things was the restoration of my sense of worth and dignity. And proper placement restores order to one’s surroundings, which in turn restores order to some of the brain’s clutter. "
7 " Change isn’t without cost, and maturity is deepened by hardships. "
8 " God’s plans always flourish more beautifully than ours "
9 " Hope restores confidence "
10 " Just as we throw out our garbage, we need to cast out thoughts that are trashy. "
11 " I’ve given up on normal as a life goal, having realized that ‘normal’ is just a setting on one’s dryer. "
12 " Gratefully, I’ve lived long enough to know that if I can own my failures, others won’t struggle with them either. "
13 " For me, failure has been a strict teacher of God’s mercies, a curriculum I wouldn’t volunteer for,yet a class I can’t afford to miss. "