“If you cannot express yourself on any subject, struggle until you can. If you do not, someone will be the poorer all the days of his life. Struggle to reexpress some truth of God to yourself, and God will use that expression to someone else. Go through the winepress of God where the grapes are crushed. You must struggle to get expression experimentally, then there will come a time when that expression will become the very wine of strengthening to someone else; but if you say lazily – ‘I am not going to struggle to express this thing for myself, I will borrow what I say,’ the expression will not only be of no use to you, but of no use to anyone. Try to state to yourself what you feel implicitly to be God’s truth and you give God a chance to pass it on to someone else through you.
Always make a practice of provoking your own mind to think out what it accepts easily. Our position is not ours until we make it ours by suffering. The author who benefits you most is not the one who tells you something you did not know before, but the one who gives expression to the truth that has been dumbly struggling in you for utterance.”
Oswald Chambers
My Utmost For His Highest
December 15
Now I see the irony in posting a quote about fighting to express things for yourself…
I love that last sentence. It is God’s call on one part of my life. Blogging is helping me get in the habit of daily writing.
Thanks to all who read and comment.
This just about made me fall out of my seat laughing, Alison. You couldn’t have planned it to be funnier. On the other hand, however, thanks for sharing the quote – it’s a great one.
I mean, of course, laughter due to your using a quote that was telling you how not to rely on quotes . . . well, I think you understand.
Totally.
I wanted to share the quote and there was no way of getting around the irony.
Thanks for enjoying both.
Al,
As soon as I heard the tone of the writer I knew it was Oswald. I miss him. It’s been a while.
Torey!
You narrowly escaped a tsk tsking blog.
I hear your baby is moving boulders.
Thank you for commenting. It is good to “hear” your voice.
Re: Oswald, he is a gift.
Loved the twisted and circular irony of posting this quote, but the thoughts were valuable, no matter who originally penned them.
Torey–Hi, girl. I am sad that I didn’t get to see you grow up and now have no idea really of who you are as an adult, but I hope you are well.
“God will use that expression to someone else.” Ahhh, this has been so true in my life. I have glommed onto so many tiny statements that my friends have made in passing to describe some bit of their lives and struggle, and they become bread and water to me. Thanks for posting this! (It’s good to be back reading, and writing)