Pain dutifully reminds me that the world is terribly imperfect, but it faithfully helps me appreciate the world on those days when it’s a little closer to being perfect.

Thankfully, the nature of pain reminds us of what the ease of pleasure foolishly allows us to forget.

Tragedy cleans the windows of the soul by washing away the bias of our lives in the detergent of pain.

If I had a single wish, I would wish sixty seconds of total depravity upon myself. For one of the greatest gifts of all is to have ‘nothing’ so that I can finally learn how to appreciate ‘everything’.

Pain is nothing but growth waiting for us to give it permission to grow us up.

If my decisions constantly heed the voice of the world, I can be completely assured that I’m going to end up in a ‘world of hurt.’ If my decisions heed the word of God, I can be completely assured that this ‘world of hurt’ won't be anywhere near my solar system.