Gerald Sittser Quotes & Sayings

The central theme of the book is that prayer is best understood as a long, sometimes perilous, epic journey that eventually leads to triumph. — Gerald L. Sittser

I did not get over the loss of my loved ones; rather, I absorbed the loss into my life, like soil receives decaying matter, until it became a part of who I am. — Gerald L. Sittser

The good that may come out of the loss does not erase its badness or excuse the wrong done. Nothing can do that. — Gerald L. Sittser

The quickest way for anyone to reach the sun and the light of day is not to run west, chasing after the setting sun, but to head east, plunging into the darkness until one comes to the sunrise. — Gerald L. Sittser

I see now that my faith was becoming an ally rather than an enemy because I could vent anger freely, even toward God, without fearing retribution. — Gerald L. Sittser

I had no way of anticipating the adjustments I would have to make and the suffering I would have to endure in the months and years ahead. — Gerald L. Sittser

My prayer as you read this book is that you will find comfort for the disappointment of unanswered prayer, but also courage to continue on the epic journey that prayer is. — Gerald L. Sittser

Regret is ... an unavoidable result of any loss, for in loss we lose the tomorrow that we needed to make right our yesterday or today. — Gerald Lawson Sittser

The book is intended to show how it is possible to live in and be enlarged by loss, even as we continue to experience it. — Gerald L. Sittser

Loss provides an opportunity to take inventory of our lives, to reconsider priorities, and to determine new directions. — Gerald Lawson Sittser

It is how we respond to loss that matters. That response will largely determine the quality, the direction, and the impact of our lives. — Gerald L. Sittser

Prayer is the one discipline in the Christian faith that makes us feel entirely dependent on God and thus sets us up for profound disappointment when God doesn't respond to our needs and requests. — Gerald L. Sittser

Gifts of grace come to all of us. But we must be ready to see and willing to receive these gifts. It will require a kind of sacrifice, the sacrifice of believing that, however painful our losses, life can still be good - good in a different way then before, but nevertheless good. I will never recover from my loss and I will never got over missing the ones I lost. But I still cherish life ... I will always want the ones I lost back again. I long for them with all my soul. But I still celebrate the life I have found because they are gone. I have lost, but I have also gained. I lost the world I loved, but I gained a deeper awareness of grace. That grace has enabled me to clarify my purpose in life and rediscover the wonder of the present moment. — Gerald L. Sittser

But life here is not the end. Reality is more than we think it to be. There is another and greater reality that envelops this earthly one. Earth is not outside heaven, as the philosopher Peter Kreeft wrote; it is heaven's workshop, heaven's womb. — Gerald L. Sittser

Worry is different from fear. If fear is like a raging fever, worry is a low-grade temperature. It nags at us, simmers in our souls, hovers in the back of our minds like a faint memory. We may fear certain realities, like death; we worry about vague possibilities. Worry distracts us more than paralyzes us. It is like a leaky faucet we never get around to fixing. — Gerald Lawson Sittser

Loss is like a closed road that forces us to turn around and find another way to our destination. Who knows what we will discover and see along the way. — Gerald Lawson Sittser

Although unanswered prayer is indeed a theme of the book, it is not the heart of the book, for unanswered prayer describes a problem but offers no solutions. — Gerald L. Sittser