Jason Vallotton

Insecurity, loneliness, frustration, self-hatred, anger, or the like—that goes unchecked will eventually grow into something massive. It may not be today or tomorrow, but it’s much like a sliver under your skin. Left unattended, that sliver will begin to fester and grow an infection until it’s so painful that you don’t want anyone to touch it. But until you remove the sliver, the infection will continue to grow.

Jason Vallotton

Many of us were taught lies like, “pain is weakness leaving the body,” or “what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.” The truth is that[emotional] pain is a need begging to be met. The longer a person lives in pain, the more likely it is that his or her heart will shut down. See, most of us don’t even know who we are, because we haven’t stopped long enough to say hello to ourselves or ask ourselves, “How can I help you?”

Corrie Ten Boom

Do you know what hurts so very much? It’s love. Love is the strongest force in the world, and when it is blocked that means pain. There are two things we can do when this happens. We can kill that love so that it stops hurting. But then of course part of us dies, too. Or we can ask God to open up another route for that love to travel.

Henri J. M. Nouwen

What counts in your life and mine is not successes but fruits. The fruits of your life you might not see yourself. The fruits of your life are born often in your pain and in your vulnerability and in your losses. The fruits of your life come only after the plow has carved through your land. God wants you to be fruitful.

Evelyn Whitehead

We can no longer harbor it [unforgiveness and hurt] for later use against the other person. We must surrender the wound or injustice that may have become a cherished, if bitter, possession. Letting go of this vengeful possession, we lose a painful advantage we have been savoring, but we regain the personal energy that has been dissipated as we nourished this hurt.