#affliction

As Christians, if sin were the reason for our afflictions, then we should all be in ICU" ~ R. Alan Woods [2012] ↗

— R. Alan Woods

#sins #sins-of-omission #r-alan-woods

having the people you love tell you they love you and mean it . . . it never goes out of style. Since we're made in God's image, this must be from Him, so even God must need an 'atta boy,' an out-loud, in-your-head 'Thank you, great job on that sunset, and the platypus was a birlliant fun idea.' Maybe that's why we're supposed to pray the way we do, because without it God would be lonely ↗

— Laurell K. Hamilton

#love

God's way of answering the Christian's prayer for more patience, experience, hope and love often is to put him into the furnace of affliction. ↗

— Richard Cecil

#answering #christian #experience #furnace #god

Affliction's sons are brothers in distress; A brother to relieve, how exquisite the bliss! ↗

— Robert Burns

#bliss #brother #brothers #distress #exquisite

Conversion can also occur among those who already have the faith. Christians will become real Christians, with less façade and more foundation. Catastrophe will divide them from the world, force them to declare their basic loyalties; it will revive shepherds who shepherd rather than administrate, reverse the proportion of saints and scholars in favor of saints, create more reapers for the harvest, more pillars of fire for the lukewarm; it will make the rich see that real wealth is in the service of the needy; and, above all else, it will make the glory of Christ’s Cross shine out in a love of the brethren for one another as true and loyal sons of God. ↗

— Fulton J. Sheen

#hardship #suffering #faith

Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of extraordinary graces. ↗

— Matthew Henry

#always #extraordinary #graces #punishment #sins