These quotes come from a great, inspiring book, written as a sequel to "The Other Side of Heaven", which was made into a movie. A lot of good stuff here.
Warning: These thoughts may cause spiritual stirrings of the heart. :)
PS- I had the opportunity today (8/5/10) to meet the author, Elder John Groberg, and his wife. That was huge for me since I have received much inspiration from this humble man's writings.
More than anything else we should be concerned about meekness, or our standing in God’s sight. If that standing is as it should be, nothing else matters. If it is not, nothing else counts.
Once a decision guided by the Spirit is reached you must not hesitate, but must move forward confidently with all your might.
I doubt there can be happy life without love, and the more honest the love the more fulfilling the life.
Quoting the simple truth: “man’s extremity is God’s opportunity”.
I didn’t want to be in such a hurry to “get things done” that I delayed getting the most important thing done – developing good, trusting, loving relationships with others.
One of the ways of experiencing joy is to be in a turbulent, painful situation, like a rough sea, and then finally have it end as you arrive and come to shore. Then absence of pain and turbulence is real joy.
Neither time nor place nor circumstance is of any consequence – only goodness of heart, pureness of purpose, strength of faith, and tenderness of love.
We teach and in turn are taught; we care for others and in turn are cared for; we love and in turn are loved; we forgive and in turn are forgiven.
Any inconvenience or sacrifice asked of us, if cheerfully given, is always repaid in ways we can not begin to comprehend.
I suppose one of the tests of our faith is to do what we know is right and not have things turn out the way we thought they would. It takes a lot of faith to know that whatever He makes of our feeble efforts is His business, not ours. I am sure that over time every ounce of obedience on our part is used in the best way possible by an all-seeing, all-knowing, and all-loving God.
After we are sure people understand what is expected of them, often our best help is to just leave them alone.
Greatness is sincerely loving others with all your heart.
Eternal beauty is ageless. Only mortal beauty fades. If all we see is mortal beauty, we really see nothing. However, if in mortality we can learn to see eternal beauty – the beauty of purity of character, the beauty of love, trust, and obedience to truth – then we see beauty that does not fade. Such beauty is not diminished with time, for where that beauty is, time is no more.
The fires of trial can consume as well as refine, but the choice is ours. Not the choice of what tests or trials will be thrust on us, but the choice of how we will react to them – the bright fire of faith or the darkness of despair.
Even though there were many problems to solve, the answers seemed clearer and simpler. They centered mostly on being more obedient, having more faith, and thinking of and serving others with more desire.
The only eternal satisfaction in life comes from understanding God’s goals for us, and then with His help, relentlessly and tirelessly pursuing and achieving those goals.
Spiritual success is an inward thing. It is knowing God’s will and doing all we can to achieve it. It is knowing that the Lord will do the rest when we have done our best. It is sincerity of purpose and honesty of effort that counts.
I wondered if anyone could truly enjoy such smoothness without having first experienced roughness. I became a little uneasy as I sensed the danger of actively seeking smoothness rather than letting it come in its own natural cycle.
If we have and assignment to help others find their way to safety, we had better let our lights shine so that others can see and be guided; we must never assume that our light doesn’t matter or that no one will be watching us. Often people need to see our light the most when we least feel like lighting it or when we feel no one will be looking for it.
What we know counts only to the degree of fervor with which we accept and act upon that knowledge.
When we understand the true power of love and faith and prayer, we will be amazed that we weren’t more aware of them and didn’t use them in better ways. They contain powers that cut through the apparent limitations of time and space and allow good to be accomplished and blessings to be given as needed.
I understood that God was pleased with past efforts. The countless voyages, the many storms, the challenges, the repetitions, the triumphs, the disasters, the good times and the tough times – all of these were important parts of a symphony He was creating.
God is the great composer and the great conductor. He orchestrates our life. If we will practice and learn our various parts, especially the deep ones – the ones that are repeated over and over again, the ones that often seem to have little meaning, the ones that at times seem boring, the ones that hold everything else together – He will make a beautiful symphony of it.
Sometimes we might think we are doing these things for others, that no one ever notices, or that our efforts are not important; but the fact is that in everything we do we are but practicing for our symphony. God has composed it and will masterfully conduct it, but we must play it.
Occasionally we may be given a solo part to play, which will be fun, even exciting, but mostly we will be asked to practice the repetitious drones of the basses until we get them just right, for until they are brought into proper tune, the rest – the solos, no matter how dazzling they may seem – cannot reach their full potential.
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For excerpts from John H. Groberg's first book, "The Other Side of Heaven", see
Excerpts from "The Other Side of Heaven", Part 1
and
Excerpts from "The Other Side of Heaven", Part 2
.
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