“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”
― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
“We think sometimes we're only drawn to the good, but we're actually drawn to the authentic. We like people who are real more than those who hide their true selves under layers of artificial niceties”
― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Life Lessons: Two Experts on Death and Dying Teach Us About the Mysteries of Life and Living
Some selected quotes.
I like the first one a lot.
A nice perspective for looking at difficulties, to have hope, even when there seems to be no purpose to it.
Some say life's purpose is to be happy. Some say it's success. These two notions are very vague, as it really depends on how one defines what makes you happy and what is success. Here I'll look at three common perspectives on the main party to be concerned with.
When one sees life's purpose as for oneself, it sometimes seem meaningless, disappointing, and unfair.
When one sees life's purpose as relationships and people, it is relatively meaningful, but can be disappointing, as all will die, and it becomes meaningless again.
When one sees life's purpose as relationship with a God, who is forever, it can feel confusing and like, for real? But I take a serious look here, because it is the only end goal that is meaningful, the only one that makes the journey worth it, the only one that gives hope that life is fair, only one that lasts.
Many say that we don't know God, and can never know God. True, we'll never really know until we meet God face to face, but that doesn't mean He wouldn't let us to begin to know Him now. Sure, there are many religions to confound us (the Devil is quite successful), and perhaps the intention is similar across religions, but I think if we earnestly seek the truth, we will find the God beyond the religions, who in my opinion, based on evidence, has revealed Himself through Jesus.
This is what Paul, an apostle, said to the Greeks who had many gods they made up, .
22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[b] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
Source: Acts 17
Nope, I don't have to begin to know God here on earth. And sure I can ignore Him and His judgment till the minute I die, perhaps.
But I'd be missing out.
Just as people want to begin their relationship with their ((insert "soul mate" or best friends, or family, or whoever)) ASAP, to avoid missing out on sharing good and bad times together, on listening to what each thinks of anything in the world,
so it is with God.
Missing out on the joy of the intimacy with God from an earlier time is like part of the God's judgment.
But I find this earnest search so difficult to endeavour.
It takes up so much will-power.
For I know that God calls me to change soo much!
I give up. and go my own way, into "default mode" all the time.
And so I hate life now. I want to live the moment. But I can't instruct myself.
And I know it is partly my indifference to change.
I should know better. Theoretically I do, I suppose.
But my real, emotional self will not surface. It doesn't force me to move. Why so stubborn?
Why? I have a guess, and I dare not admit the answer.
Sigh. I need help, I know the source, and that it will come, but I don't know how that help will come, or what form it would take, or when it will arrive.
Till then,
not-very-patiently waiting.
Lovely quotes collection. I have compiled many quotes from you. Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, whomever you are!
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