Quote of the Day

"Our speech, whether it is about others or to others, tends to tear down or build up. It either corrupts the minds of our hearers, or it gives grace to them. Such is the power of our words. If I gossip, I both tear down another person and corrupt the mind of my listener. If I complain about the difficult circumstances of my life, I impugn the sovereignty and goodness of God and tempt my listener to do the same."

("Respectable Sins" p. 24 by Jerry Bridges)

Ectopic/tubal Pregnancy Abortion

Political/World Issues

Health and Beauty

Ectopic/tubal Pregnancy Abortion

Recently, I was addressed with the question: "Is abortion acceptable in a case of Ectopic/tubal pregnancy?"  Honestly, I didn't know that much about it. All I could really say on the subject was what I’d just heard from other people’s perception of it. So, today I did my research. I was amazed by what I learned. The truth is, the more I study and educate myself about health in general, the more I see why it is so important to do so. You almost have to be your own doctor, because you cannot simply believe what others will tell you or blindly follow the flow of society. I hope this information is maybe helpful to you, and if nothing else, educational. So, I would encourage you, reader, to research and to study for yourself. It is good to know what we believe and why.

So, what is Ectopic Pregnancy?

Definition of ectopic

•     Pregnancy with the fertilized embryo implanted on any tissue other than the uterine lining
•         95% of ectopics are in the tube, 1.5% abdominal, 0.5% ovarian and 0.03% are in the                 cervix
•         Only a 2% chance that a pregnancy will be Ectopic/tubal

My perception of "Ectopic/tubal pregnancy" from all I'd ever heard was that it was a case where, if not somehow prevented, the baby would inevitably always die and the mother could possibly then die as well. MOST people think this is true and therefore use an abortive, either drug or surgery, to immediately end the pregnancy. If the baby is dying anyway, and the life of the mother is therefore then put at risk, why would you hesitate to abort the baby? Although this thinking logically does make sense, it didn't sit right with me. How could it ever be acceptable to murder a baby? It couldn't be.

Every "medical website" said the same thing. With Ectopic pregnancy there is no other option than to abort the baby immediately before you put yourself at fatal risk. The doctors would advocate that you go in for emergency abortive surgery. A few websites admitted to certain "exceptions" or "rare cases" where the baby somehow survived outside the mother's uterus. But those were rare and somewhat unacceptable.

When I came across a story of a mother that safely kept her Ectopic baby full term, I was pleasantly surprised and it opened an avenue of information! Here is the account:

Rare baby survives outside womb: Montreal doctor

CBC News Posted: Aug 12, 2003 10:16 AM ET Last Updated: Aug 12, 2003 10:16 AM ET

Surgeons in Montreal performed a C-section and found a baby managed to grow and develop outside his mother's uterus. Dionne Grant, 29, and her newborn son should be going home later this week. Although she is camera shy, Grant wanted the world to see her baby. He does not yet have a name. Dr. Robert Sabbah, head of obstetrics and gynecology at Sacr-Coeur Hospital, said he only discovered the problem after deciding to perform an emergency caesarean section on the Jamaican tourist last week.

"When I opened the cavity I quickly discovered that the uterus was not like it was supposed to be," said Sabbah. "As soon as I explored the abdominal cavity I noticed there were feet in the cavity just floating around. So as fast as I could I took out the baby."

He said that abdominal ectopic pregnancies occur in one in 10,000 pregnancies. In 99 per cent of the cases, the babies die. There are only a dozen similar cases in the world, according to obstetricians. Doctors believe the baby survived because the placenta glued itself to the top of the uterus, accessing blood to nourish the baby. Sabbah said he's thrilled to have been part of the surgery and even more thrilled that both his patients are doing so well.

Ectopic/tubal pregnancy baby survivors actually aren't as impossible as I would have thought. I think the reason they are more uncommon, is because woman are told that the "abortion of the baby" is the ONLY option and therefore, the baby is never even given the chance to try to live. I was shocked by how many stories I came across where the mother actually was somehow able to carry her baby even outside the uterus lining. Weird. But it is possible. It is most common, however, that the baby will naturally die. At approximately 8 to 9 weeks most tubal pregnancies will rupture. This can be dangerous for the mother, with risks of hemorrhaging, internal bleeding, and possible infection, and it is extremely important that she gets medical help; although, it is still not unheard of that both the baby and the mother survives even a tubal rupture. (I'm honestly unsure how that works, but I do believe the baby has to be past 28 weeks.) 

So, is it actually as dangerous a threat to the mother's life as is commonly made out to be?

No, not really. And while there is a chance that the mother could die, it isn't as high as I would have thought. I found this particular website, and the information from it, extremely helpful. http://www.personhoodinitiative.com/articles.html

The actual survival rate is more likely to be 99.4%.

 A more accurate percentage could be obtained by considering that deaths associated with ectopic pregnancies only make up about 6% of the yearly maternal deaths in America. If this figure were to be applied to the maternal mortality rate of southern Israel, we would derive that there were .03 ectopic related deaths per year for that region. When that figure is divided by an average of 4.8 tubal ruptures per year, we arrive at the conclusion that a woman in southern Israel has a 99.4% chance of surviving an ectopic pregnancy which is not aborted prior to rupture.

A similar calculation for America produces a lowest possible minimum of 97.7% survival.

    In addition, we could calculate the maternal risk from the total number of heterotopic pregnancies (twins with one child in the womb and the other being ectopic) in America. According to Dr. Tenore of the Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, this type of pregnancy occurs in 1 out of every 2,600 pregnancies, and 50% of them (1 out of every 5,200 pregnancies) "are identified only after tubal rupture." According to the American Pregnancy Association, there are approximately 6 million pregnancies per year in the US. Therefore, there are an average of 1,154 heterotopic pregnancies every year in America which are not even discovered much less treated prior to tubal rupture. The CDC reported that there are an average of 26.3 maternal deaths per year that are ectopic related. If we assumed that all of these ectopic related deaths were the result of an undiagnosed heterotopic pregnancy (a condition which only makes up 1% of the total number of ectopic pregnancies), then we would still arrive at a maternal survival rate of 97.7%.

     The claim that an unborn child cannot survive an Ectopic pregnancy:

a. Between 1809 and 1935, there were 316 reported live births from ectopic pregnancies.

 Two OBGYNs in New York, Dr.’s Hellman and Simon, published details on 316 ectopic pregnancies which resulted in live births between 1809 and 1935. Only half of these children survived their first week of life, but these births occurred before the development of the first neonatal intensive care unit, and most of them before the discovery of penicillin in 1928.  With modern technology, it is likely that many more would have survived.

b. With modern technology, there have been even more of these births in recent years in spite of the insistence that abortion is the only viable treatment.

    In September of 1999, Ronan Ingram was successfully delivered via c-section.  Ronan had implanted in one of his mother’s fallopian tubes which subsequently ruptured as he grew into the abdominal cavity. In May of 2008, Durga Thangarajah was born after spending a full nine months in her mother’s ovary. Sage Dalton was born in July of 1999 after developing in the amniotic membrane outside her mother’s womb. Billy Jones was born in 2008 after developing in his mother’s abdominal cavity. Many additional reports could be given.

The claim that termination is the only treatment for ectopic pregnancies that is recognized by the medical profession:

 Many OBGYNs have recommended allowing ectopic pregnancies to resolve on their own.
Dr.’s Sapuri and Klufio, for example, have recommended that women discovered to have an ectopic pregnancy prior to 28 weeks of gestation should be admitted to a hospital and closely monitored.  They stress that blood transfusion facilities should be readily available in case of hemorrhage, and they suggest that once the child has reached 28 weeks of gestation, he should be delivered surgically.

An Ectopic/tubal pregnancy certainly could be dangerous and definitely isn't ideal, but it isn't impossible either. Abortion isn't the only option, as doctors conclude and people ignorantly and blindly believe. It shouldn't even be an option. If there is still a possibility that you could save your Ectopic/tubal pregnancy...why wouldn't you try? If there was even a small chance that you could somehow keep the life of your baby, isn't that something to consider? To most doctors and pro-choice representatives, it is seen only as a "blob of tissue" that could possibly be a fatal risk, so they insist on immediate removal. And I think maybe even most pro-life christians just blindly believe what the doctor tells them to do. But it is a life. And outside the mother's uterus or not, it is worth fighting for.

Quote of the Day

Surely the truth must be, that whatsoever in our daily life is lawful and right for us to be engaged in, is in itself a part of our obedience to God; ...Whensoever we hear people complaining of obstructions and hindrances put by the duties of life in the way of devoting themselves to God, we may be sure they are under some false view or other. They do not look upon their daily work as the task God has set them, and as obedience due to Him. We may go farther; and say, not only that the duties of life, be they never so toilsome, and distracting, are no obstructions to a life of any degree of inward holiness; but that they are even direct means, when rightly used, to promote our satisfaction."   H. E. Manning

(In Daily Strength for Daily Needs P.76)

Bound With Them

Political/World Issues

Bound with Them

Prisoners of Iran for Christ

"Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body." 

 Hebrews 13:3 

Recently "the chubs" (my little siblings) and I were studying Iran for school.  While studying the country we found out that the country is hostile towards Christians and even found that there are 3 known Christians being held in prison there for their faith.  www.prisoneralert.com 

I asked the children if they would like to write and encourage one of these men as a school project.  Beth knew right away who she wanted to encourage.  His name is Benham Irani.

   Behnam Irani is a 41 year-old pastor from Karaj, Iran and was convicted of crimes against national security and sentenced to one year in prison.  After voluntarily surrendering to authorities he began his sentence only to learn he would be forced to serve another five years.

The MOIS (Ministry of Intelligence and National Security), raided Irani's house church April 14th 2010, and assaulted him before taking him into custody.  Irani has a wife and two children.  Irani has been held 1384 days. Please click the link below to send Irani an encouraging letter.




Write a letter 

5956
encouraging letters written so far 

Quote of the Day

"Silence in the face of evil, is itself evil; God will not hold us guiltless.  Not to speak, is to speak, not to act, is to act."  

~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

My Leafless Tree

My Leafless Tree

Here is my little desire-

I've made known my humble request.

My weak heart has dared to hope

Still trusting His answer as best.

A longing hidden away deep within me-

Is my little leafless tree.

Yet, I know small desires still matter to Him,

In a perfect time, I trust He will answer me.

I waited on my bare little branches

Wishing my pathetic-looking tree to bloom;

But it remained only as I had dreaded-

My disappointed heart wallowing in self pity and gloom.

I grew impatient; I doubted His love

I wondered that He even cared to hear.

For there were still no bright green leaves to mention

No beautiful new blossoms seemed to appear.

And as I yet waited for His answer,

My selfish heart was awakened;

Who am I to judge the Lord's provision?

His timing? As if I was ever forsaken?

Only He knows when Spring should appropriately come

His ways, His desires, are not always ours to see;

He's placed me on these uncomfortable branches for a reason

My plain, leafless tree is just what it should be.

And it is here, I am learning to rejoice

To trust Him with what I cannot yet understand;

With a patient and contented heart,

I will sing with thanksgiving, the songs He doth command.

I am happy- resting on my unfurnished branches

For it is a season He has planned for me;

I leave with Him all the ability to beautify-

That which concerneth my leafless tree.

Written by Lynea Bickish - Spring of 2014

Purity without Guilt

Spiritual Lessons 

  Purity Without Guilt

What if I'm subconsciously attracted to someone?   Are my hopes and dreams pure?  Am I impure if my mind wanders to a certain guy?

These were questions I was asked recently and I felt like sharing my thoughts.

Attraction is normal, and not a sin.  Yet it is possible to commit emotional adultery. What's the difference?   Attraction is a natural emotion.  Emotional adultery is a choice with what we do with that natural emotion.  Emotional adultery is a decision to dwell in lust.  

Some safe guards I keep are being careful in my conduct and thoughts and speech.  This comes easiest when I am continually meditating on good thoughts.  (What we dwell on comes out).   Keeping young men as casual acquaintances or friends and saving close friendships for young woman is imperative.  

But hoping that we will be married one day is not sin.  Even having plans or preparations for our future is not evil.  But we do need to be careful where we allow our thoughts to go. I find that if I  continually share with Jesus where I'm at, it keeps me accountable in my thought life.  

Attraction is a strong emotion. But it is possible for our heart to stop at admiration.  Beyond that are slippery slopes and temptations and fine lines.  The best solution is to give Jesus our attraction.  Every time "he" comes to mind, we can immediately give "him" to Jesus.  It's always such a help to realize that Jesus has allowed me to feel towards this person, it's not more than I can bare.  This "cross" will certainly keep you dependent on Him.  We can choose to allow it to.  If the guy doesn't make any advancement we should be content to be still.  We aren't waiting on the guy.  We are simply following Jesus.  Don't hold your breath!  We have no idea how long God needs us to be single to accomplish His will for our life and other's lives.  

There's the possibility of feeling frightened that we have a hope in our life.  It's okay.  If Jesus takes it away He will give us the grace to let go.  If He one days allows the hope to become reality, He will let us know when the time comes.  

In the meanwhile, we shouldn't forget who is the true satisfaction to our every longing!  Before and after marriage!  He is our Beloved and desires to meet every need of our heart.  If we are truly upfront with Him, He will guide our heart and convict us when we've gone astray and comfort us when we feel like we're a hopeless case!  

Here are previous posts on these same issues.  I hope this was somehow an encouragement to you. 

Keeping our Hearts with Diligence 

Is there a difference between infatuation and giving away your heart?  How do we practically keep our heart?

Biblical Womanhood

Are our fathers really our head?  What is woman's purpose?  Why should woman stay at home? Are woman weak?  Can women be adventurous and brave?  

Compromise

Our hearts are at stake! This post addresses the temptation to compromise our standard of purity.  Honest and to the point about relationships with guys.

Temptations 

Temptations will come.  Whether they're something or someone.  This post is on how to face them, what to do with them, how to feel about them and how to find encouragement in them.  

The One  

Is there really "the one" out there for us?

What to do as a Single? 

It's easy to grow restless and wonder if there's more to singlehood.  This post encourages single woman what "to do" in these years. 

Holding out for a Fairy Tale 

Is it silly to hope and pray for a "Prince Charming"?  Do such men exist?  

Courtship Defended  

Courtship: is it biblical, or is it flawed? 

Heartstrings  

What is our "heart"?  What's our heart's purpose?  What isn't our heart's purpose?

Quote of the Day

" Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear; rather look to them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. He has kept you hitherto,- do you but hold fast to His dear hand, and He will lead you safely through all things; and, when you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms. Do not look forward to what may happen to-morrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you to-day, will take care of you to-morrow, and every day. Either He will shield you form suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations." 

(St. Francis De Sales- Daily Strength for Daily Needs p. 29)

Keeping our Hearts with Diligence (Part II)

Spiritual Lessons

Keeping our Hearts with Diligence

Part Two

This is the continuation from my previous post "Keeping our Hearts with Diligence (Part I)".

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."  (Proverbs 4:23) 

In my previous post on keeping our hearts with diligence, I stopped with the subject of our eyes. Who we might be looking at. What we are looking for. Where we are setting our affections. 

Colossians 3:2-3 says- "Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." 

The problem is most of us haven't even realized who we truly belong to. The reason our affections aren't on things above, but are rather, on this earth, is because our lives are not hid with Christ in God. But they are supposed to be. In fact, Romans 12:1-2 tells us that this is only our “reasonable service”. Paul couldn’t even go beyond what was “reasonable”, because the Christians wouldn’t even do that. And while the desires of our hearts can be extremely hard to give up, I know, it is a crucial part of our walk with the Lord. We do not belong to ourselves. It is not our life alone, to choose what we want to do with it or who we will spend it with. We answer to the Lord.

“Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.” (v.26)

Here I would like to talk about our path. “Let our ways be established”. Where are we going? What is our goal? What are we establishing?

I heard it said recently, that “You are either devising your own way or God is ordering your steps.” When it comes to our heart’s path, there isn’t much middle ground. Either you are conniving to get what you want or you are waiting on what the Lord wants to give you. And if you would but search your heart a little while, you’d know exactly which one you were. The truth is, our actions speak louder than our words. A lot of young girls will say that they are waiting on the Lord, but their actions do not prove it to be true. They seem almost desperate to attach themselves to someone. This shouldn’t be. Why? Because our contentment is found in the Lord. He is the One satisfying our heart’s desire. He fills all our emotional needs. He is love. He is our purpose. He is our goal. Sometimes it is needful to ask ourselves a few questions.

 Just to see where our hearts honestly are.

Am I content exactly where God has placed me?

Is there anything (or anyone) that seems to always come before my desire for Christ?

Am I patient and happy to wait for His perfect timing, even if it’s much longer than I would have expected?

Is there just as much peace in letting go of my desires as in seeing them fulfilled?

Proverbs 28:26 says, “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.”

“Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.” (Proverbs 23:19)

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying before, “follow your heart”. What a dangerous thing to do! Seeing as our hearts are deceitfully wicked above all things. They are not supposed to be followed, or heeded in the least. No, instead, we are actually commanded to guide our hearts. So, while our hearts will often at times feel completely unruly and impossible to deal with, they aren’t. How are we to guide our hearts? By trusting them to Jesus.

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart: and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

By trusting our hearts to the Lord, we allow Him to lead them. This often requires continual surrender. But with surrender, comes a blessed peace. The Lord Jesus wants to establish our ways. He wants to lead our hearts. His paths are always the loveliest to follow. He is a good Heavenly Father. He delights to give His children good things. We can trust Him. And no path can be deemed lonely when He is the One traveling it with you.

“He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” (Psalms 40:2)

In Isaiah 55: 8 and 9, we see where the Lord’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways, not our ways. They are infinitely higher and so much wiser. Sometimes, it would seem, the Lord has to rescue me from myself. Thinking that I know what is best for me, when in reality, I don’t. Of course, we all think that if we really got what our hearts longed and wished for it would all turn out right in the end. But just as a wise mother lovingly holds back her child from danger, so Christ holds us back from what we don’t understand. We will never see as He sees. And we can never love ourselves as much as He truly loves us. There is just as much love in His “yes” as in His “no”.

I remember one time in my life, a couple of years ago, when I wondered about a certain young man in my life. I found myself attracted to him and wondered if the feeling was mutual. Considering whether he might be the Lord’s will for me or not, I prayed about it. And the Lord gave me John 21:21-22.

“Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.”

Basically, it is none of your business.  J
What is my path? To follow after Jesus. And the rest is His responsibility. It doesn’t matter who your future husband may or may not be, or where he even is, that is for the Lord to direct. We are to be waiting and keeping our hearts with all purity, with all diligence. The Lord has to be our goal. Not marriage. Not a relationship. Not anything else. Just Him.

“Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” (v. 27)

And then, we have the command to “turn not” and to “remove thy foot from evil.” Again, it isn’t “evil” to like someone. It isn’t “evil” to want to get married. But it is evil to be thinking or dwelling on anything that doesn’t fit into the verse of Philippians 4:8.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

In removing our foot from evil, we need to be establishing our thoughts.

“Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” (Proverbs 16:3)

Our thoughts are very important to the Lord. It is easy to excuse them as not really being “that big of a deal”, especially since no one else can actually see them and aren’t necessarily effected by them. But this isn’t actually true. For one thing, Jesus sees all our thoughts. He is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) And if for no other reason, we should care that our thoughts are pure because of Him. Proverbs 23:7 tells us “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:” What we think about, says a lot about us. Where our minds continually dwell, says a lot about where our hearts are. And while others may not see your thoughts per se, our thoughts affect our actions, which then affect those around us. It is important where our minds wonder. You are not alone in your little world of imagination. Girls tend to daydream to an unhealthy level. It almost seems to be built into our nature somehow. Like the little girl who always wants to play house. We were made to be homemakers and “nesting” comes, oh, too easily. We think about what our future might look like. Girls are also very relational. And it is not uncommon for girls to often think about their future husbands (or who that might be) and even their future children before ever entering that time of their life. And while it might not necessarily be wicked, it can be dangerous. It can be taken to an unhealthy level and reality can be lost. Our “fantasy”, or even hope of what our futures might be, can become more enjoyable to live than our actual life.

Proverbs 24:9 says, “The thought of foolishness is sin:”

This verse puts an immediate stop to all day dreaming, because that’s exactly what it is. Foolishness. According to Philippians 4:8, it isn’t whatsoever things are true. It isn’t whatsoever things are honest. It is vanity.

If you’ve ever “liked” someone in particular, you already know just how easy it is to think about that person. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, he can be in the back of your thoughts. And while thinking about that person isn’t necessarily a sin itself, and honestly just comes naturally, what we are thinking could be. Are you already mentally planning as if you’d spend your future with him? This isn’t right. This isn’t whatsoever things are just. Are your thoughts always drifting to the romantic side of things? This isn’t whatsoever things are pure; whatsoever things are lovely; whatsoever things are of good report. There are other thoughts along this subject which are more subtle, but equally just as dangerous if not more so. These are the thoughts about this “special someone” that actually are true. Things said or events that actually happened. Such as, maybe the last time your families spent the day together or when you last saw him at church; whatever it might be. Our minds have a way of “replaying” everything. Like, how he looked at you, or even if he looked at you. What was said; how we laughed together. Maybe the things you did. All these “little things” become precious and hidden away in our hearts when we like someone. But my question is: Is it virtuous? Is it praiseworthy? Philippians 4:8 says “…if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” And it is all such thoughts that we must surrender to the Lord. They are not healthy for us to hold so close to our hearts, or to replay in our minds.

II Corinthians 10:5 says, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ:”

Our thoughts must be brought captive to the obedience of Christ. When our minds wonder foolishly or even romantically, we must stop and submit them to the Lord. It hast to be a conscious effort. It is a choice we make. “Casting down imaginations”.  We must cast them down at Jesus’ feet. And when we do, we’ll find that He is always there faithfully waiting to take our thoughts and imaginations. That He has already promised the victory. It is ours to claim at the very moment our hearts looks up towards Him. Ephesians 4:23 says, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;” Our minds need to be renewed. And it is by taking them to Jesus that He then forgives and cleanses and renews them again.

“And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?” (Matthew 9:4)

“The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.” (Psalms 10:4)

Sadly, what could be said of the “wicked” here, could also be said of most Christians. God is not in all his thoughts. And what a difference it would make if He was!

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalms 139:23-24)

In order for the Lord to even be able to help us keep our hearts with diligence, they must first be given to Him. He must have our heart. Our will must be put into neutral. Our hearts cannot be set on anything that isn’t of the Lord. Even with the things that just aren’t His timing yet. We cannot have a froward heart. To stubbornly insist on our own way is heartache.

“He that hath a froward heart findeth no good:” (Proverbs 17:20)

“They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight.” (Proverbs 11:20)

In Luke 12, we are encouraged to “take no thought for your life”. I think this is the biggest secret to keeping our hearts with all diligence. Letting God be our everything. When we have let go of our life, our plans, our dreams, our heart’s desires, our future hopes, and our deepest longings; when instead, all else becomes as complete loss compared to Him; when He becomes that one desire of our hearts.

“I’ve been a great deal happier since I have given up thinking about what is easy and pleasant, and being discontented because I couldn’t have my own will. Our life is determined for us; and it makes the mind very free when we give up wishing, and only think of bearing what is laid upon us, and doing what is given us to do.” George Eliot

Quote of the Day

"We have need of patience with ourselves and with others; with those below, and those above us, and with our own equals; with those who love us and those who love us not; for the greatest things and for the least; against sudden inroads of trouble, and under daily burdens; disappointments as to the weather, or the breaking of the heart; in the weariness of the body, or the wearing of the soul; in our own failure of duty, or others' failure toward us; in every-day wants, or in the aching of sickness or the decay of old age; in disappointment, bereavement, losses, injuries, reproaches; in heaviness of the heart; or its sickness amid delayed hopes. In all these things, from childhood's little troubles to the martyr's sufferings, patience is the grace of God, whereby we endure evil for the love of God."

(E.B. Pusey, Daily Strength for Daily Needs P.48)