This is a great story. I had a hard time putting it down. It
really touched my heart. I liked his honesty of how he struggled throughout his
life about being neglected by his family and a belief in God. I loved hearing
his struggles with God and the patience he saw God had with him throughout his
life and coming to grips with his past.
I’m sure most people feel this way.
But even at age seven I could see that kids preferred poverty
if they were loved, rags if they were cared for, and homelessness if someone
wanted them. We were willing to suffer much if we could only be part of our own
families. (pg. 28)
I love this prayer. It’s real and
honest.
On a September afternoon in 1971, at age 17, I made a
decision. In a little bedroom too small to turn my bed around in, I got down on
my knees. Jesus, I prayed, if You are real, come into my nightmare. Forgive me
of my sins and change me. If You really change me, I’m Yours forever. If You
don’t, You’re a fraud and a joke. (pg. 134)
I really love this.
After saying good night, I turned off the flashlight and lay
in the pitch black of our jungle hut. I needed no light to see the truth: No
matter where I was, God was there for me and for everyone— regardless of
culture, language, history, or color. (pg. 171)
I thought this was real good.
The answers are
complex, but the foundational truth isn’t: I couldn’t change the events and
circumstances imposed on me, but I could choose how to respond. The mark of a
person, it seems to me, is not just in how one acts but also in how one reacts.
(pg. 240)
This is very true.
When I reached out to God for the hope offered everyone
regardless of race, language, or culture, I learned that nothing I do to myself
or is done to me by others, no abuse or apathy, nothing that has happened or ever will happen—including death—can separate me from the love of God.
That love helped me to forgive, releasing me from my painful past—just as that
love has helped so many others forgive and find freedom. (pg. 241)
No comments:
Post a Comment