To be a follower of the Crucified means, sooner or later, a personal encounter with the cross. And the cross always entails loss. Elisabeth Elliot
God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain. C.S. Lewis
A man could not truly know God if he thanked Him only for what appeared to be good. George MacDonald
It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others and to forget his own. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Am I willing to spend and be spent; not seeking to be ministered unto, but to minister? Oswald Chambers
Though You slay me, yet I will praise You. Though You take from me, I will bless Your name. Though you ruin me, still I will worship. Sing a song to the One who's all I need. Though You Slay Me (Shane & Shane)
The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes. If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life. Frank Lloyd Wright
So maybe having a big family is the way to go, because you get at least a taste of all the other lives you'd like to live. Dorcas Smucker
Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is. CS Lewis