Saturday's Sayings - Crushed in Spirit with Sorrow

Saturday's Sayings

Crushed in Spirit with Sorrow

God of our life, there are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders and weigh us down; when the road seems dreary and endless, the skies grey and threatening; when our lives have no music in them, and our hearts are lonely, and our souls have lost their courage. Flood the path with light, run our eyes to where the skies are full of promise; tune our hearts to brave music; give us the sense of comradeship with heroes and saints of every age; and so quicken our spirits that we may be able to encourage the souls of all who journey with us on the road of life, to Your honour and glory.

~Augustine

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Thus, at the very moment I dreamed of the greatest happiness, I found myself most miserable: and seemed as if fortune wished to give me this taste of joy only to render the reverse more poignant.

The change I now experienced was as painful as it was sudden and unexpected. It was a change indeed from a state of bliss to a scene which is inexpressible by me . . . and wherein such instances of hardship and fatigue continually occurred as I can never reflect on but with horror.

~Equiano, Beyond the Suffering

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Grief is itself a medicine.

~William Cowper, Charity

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In my Lucia's absence

Life hangs upon me, and becomes a burden;

I am ten times undone, while hope, and fear,

And grief, and rage and love rise up at once,

And with variety of pain distract me.

~Joseph Addison

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The sorrow which has no vent in tears may make other organs weep.

~Henry Maudsley

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It's so curious: one can resist tears and 'behave' very well in the hardest hours of grief. But then someone makes you a friendly sign behind a window, or one notices that a flower that was in bud only yesterday has suddenly blossomed, or a letter slips from a drawer... and everything collapses.

~Colette

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Sorrow removes your attention from the active life and focuses it on the things that matter most. When you are going through a period of extreme loss or pain, you reflect on the people who mean the most to you instead of on personal success; and the deep design of your life, instead of distracting gadgets and entertainments. You may be more open to the beauty of your world as a relief from distress. Beauty is always present, but ordinarily you may not notice it because of your priorities or your absorption in other things.

~Thomas Moore

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Victory comes through defeat; healing through brokenness; finding self through losing self.

~Charles Colson

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My groaning has worn me out. At night my bed and pillow are soaked with tears.

~Psalm 6:6

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Pain can be exhausting. Feelings of sorrow, depression, grief, and fear can eat away at us internally to the point that we feel our bodies will waste away. We lose strength. We forfeit any sense of balance and control over our emotions. We’re reduced to groaning, powerless, grief-stricken creatures.

Emotions are very fragile things. When you’re working through old hurts or new struggles, your emotions can help you deal with them in a healthy way. Stuffing them, pretending you don’t feel grief or fear, won’t help at all. In fact, it will hurt you in the long run.

~Peter Wallace, What the Psalmist Is Saying to You Today

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Help me, O Lord, to throw

myself absolutely

and wholly on thee, for better, for worse, without

comfort, and all but hopeless.

~Puritan Prayer, The Valley of Vision

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Learn to trust Jesus always, even when you cannot understand something.

~J. Heinrich Arnold, Discipleship

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The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

~Psalm 34:18