Welcome to The Week In Words, where we share quotes from the last week’s reading. If something you read this past week inspired you, caused you to laugh, cry, think, dream, or just resonated with you in some way, please share it with us, attributing it to its source, which can be a book, newspaper, blog, Facebook — anything that you read. More information is here.
Here are a few thought-provoking quotes that caught my eye this week:
From Robin Lee Hatcher‘s Facebook:
“Can an acorn become a rose, a whale fly like a bird, or lead become gold? Absolutely not. You cannot be anything you want to be. But you can be everything God wants you to be.” ~ Max Lucado
Is anyone else as tired as I am of sayings like “You can do or be anything you want” and “If you can think it, you can do it”? This was a wonderful answer to those philosophies.
And another from Robin:
“As we grow in Christ, we will learn how to appreciate peace over personal preferences. Remember, Christ is the Prince of Peace.” ~ Beth Moore
Though a little different, this reminded me of a quote from a forgotten source that it is not surrender to the Lord that causes us problems and anguish, it is the struggle against surrender. As long as we cling to our own preferences, our own way and will, we won’t have that peace of fully yielding to Christ. So why, then, do we keep doing it?!
See at Chrysalis:
“The arts are the John the Baptist of the heart, preparing the affections for Christ.” ~ Jacques Maritain
And finally, from another friend’s Facebook:
“Revivals should not be necessary. God intended that His people should grow in grace & holiness without periodic spells of backsliding & repenting. But so long as we have such a malarial brand of Christianity, a fever & a chill, a fever & a chill, we shall need revivals.” ~ Vance Havner
If you’ve read anything that particularly spoke to you that you’d like to share, please either list it in the comments below or write a post on your blog and then put the link to that post (not your general blog link) in Mr. Linky below. I do ask that only family-friendly quotes be included.
I hope you’ll visit some of the other participants as well and glean some great thoughts to ponder. And don’t forget to leave a comment here, even if you don’t have any quotes to share! 🙂
Stray Thoughts 
Just left my link… hopefully it will show. It’s good to be back!
“You cannot be anything you want to be. But you can be everything God wants you to be.” ~ Max Lucado
Love this… so true. We are naturally (and super-naturally) gifted… but of course that idea is not PC.
I’ve never thought about Revivals as reaching believers… but of course they must!
I was always taught that revival was for Christians since you can’t revive something in which there is no spiritual life: non-Christians need salvation, new life, new birth (which is often an outgrowth of Christians being revived and seeing their mission a anew). But the need for revival is also a sign everything isn’t as it should be in a Christian’s life. A word study of “revive” in the Bible offers some rich passages, some I have prayed myself at times.
Love the Max Lucado quote that we can’t be “anything you want to be.” I’ve always wondered why kids are told that. But what a far more important thing to be everything God wants us to be! Excellent.
I love Max Lucado; in fact, I’ve seen him in person during a Women of Faith conference.
Thanks for your warm wishes and faithful prayers.
I love that idea of the arts as preparation for the holy. At their best, I think that’s true — a great way to think of creative pursuits.
P.S. Thanks for the link love. ღ
I had a very similar few thoughts flit through my brain about revival recently…unfortunately while an “evangelist” was visiting. Thanks for helping me work a few things out….
I’ve questioned the “You can be anything, or do anything you put your mind to” mentality as well. It seems to me there are a lot of Christians who negligently support such ideas by loosely quoting “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” without considering the context.
Just like Lucado points out, it is God’s will that prevails. And God can (and will) empower us to live within whatever circumstances He gives us. Hallelujah!
Barbara, I find the revival quote powerful! What truth… I would love to know the origins of having revivals at churches in America as that’s not a practice where I came from.