If there is one thing you should know about me and this blog site is that I love quotes. I warn you that if you don’t like quotes, you probably won’t like my blog because you can be sure that they will be the inspiration for a number of future blogs.
I love them so much because they almost always cause me to think and possibly even change my view on things. The quotes I tend to like, and quote myself, are ones that I find to be little nuggets of wisdom or inspiration. Or maybe they say exactly how I’m feeling better than I can say it myself. I may like them because they explain a season of life that I’m in or have gone through. I believe some quotes may even be from God as an encouragement and reassurance that you’re headed in the right direction.
However, the little nuggets of wisdom or inspiration that can come from a quote can, quite literally, be life changing sometimes. One of my favorite quotes is from, American author and theologian, Frederick Buechner. He said, “The place God calls you to is where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” This is one of those quotes that said how I felt better than I could say it myself. It also explained exactly what I was going through better than I can explain it. In fact I even designed a t-shirt with the quote on the back.
The quote that has recently got me thinking is that of, author, preacher, evangelist, and (many other accolades I’m probably unaware of), Francis Chan. I am somewhat of a follower of Francis’s works and teachings because I almost always find that it challenges me to really think about my relationship with God, and it inspires me to grow spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. The quote reads, “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” When I read this quote for the first time it rocked my world. I couldn’t stop thinking about it for the following week. It sat in my brain as I pondered it, and I chewed on it day after day thinking about what really matters in this life. And I still continue to think about it. It has really humbled me and given me a new perspective on life.
When I originally wrote this blog, I was going to go into detail of what I felt was important, but I felt God tell me not to. I’m not quite sure why He did, but I believe that it’s because He wants you to search Him for the answer. And, quite frankly, I probably would have overcomplicated the answer as well. If you to are rocked by this quote or even if you’re confused by what it may mean, I encourage you to pick up a Bible and begin reading the gospels and search God for the right answer. I believe I know the answer, and it’s a deep answer that has multiple levels and areas. And at the same time I don’t nor will I ever have the answer completely figured out.
I’ll leave you with these questions to ask yourself and God. What are you succeeding at? And in the end, does it really matter?
