“When we encounter a friend who's depressed or afraid, we automatically try to take that distress away and to cheer the person up. While we may be operating with the best of intentions, this Band-Aid approach only reinforces the condition. Unless people experience their pain completely and begin to understand it, they will not only fail to overcome it, they'll also lose the opportunity of using it to advance their own growth. Pain can get you somewhere, and that somewhere can be a life-enhancing experience. We all tend to forget that pain can signal change. Alleviating the symptoms of pain in someone, without helping them to get at its underlying source, robs them of an important to for self-exploration. It's also a way of placating that reinforces the person's need to cave in and succumb to another. This attitude undermines healthy character development and contributes to psycho-spiritual, moral, and ultimately social decay.”
― Adele von Rust McCormick
“We all have scars; both inside and out. Use your experience to support those who are going down the same road of destruction you once went down. Know that your past is worth more than the pain you once carried, because it can now be used to comfort and give strength to another soul who is suffering. Cherish your trials and tribulations as gifts; embrace these opportunities to share the grace you have been given.” Katie Maslin
“Training for service is not a training to become rich but to become
voluntarily poor; not to fulfill ourselves but to empty ourselves; not to
conquer God but to surrender to His saving power.” Henri Nouwen
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