Merciful Refusals

Never forget that some of God's greatest mercies are His refusals.

He says "no" in order that He may, in ways we cannot imagine, say "yes."

All His ways with us are merciful. His meaning is always love.

- Elisabeth Elliot

Love That Doesn't Always Protect

Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering. The love of God did not protect His own Son... He will not necessarily protect us - not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process. ~ Elisabeth Elliot

The Snake's Reasoning

"What do you want more than anything else in life?" I asked. "God's choices or your own?"

"God's of course."

"What if He should choose for you [something you don't want]?"

"Oh, but He wouldn't!"

"Why not?"

"Because He loves me..."

.... "So if you don't get [what you want], will that prove God doesn't love you?"

The blue eyes filled with tears. "Doesn't He want me to be happy?"
(I thought I heard an echo of Eve in Eden.)

"He wants you most to be holy....
He wanted Adam and Ever to be happy, but He didn't give them everything they wanted. He knew it would be the death of them. So they got mad and decided He was being stingy when He told them not to touch the fruit. How could He love them if He didn't let them have it? They put more stock in the snake's reasoning than in God's."

Elisabeth Elliot,
Passion and Purity, chapter 6 - "The Snake's Reasoning