Saturday, May 05, 2007
The Quiet Heart by Patricia Holland
Patricia T. Holland is the wife of Jeffrey R. Holland, one of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church. She has written a beautiful book of hope and peace. It was just what I needed to read at this particular time. Holland tells stories that encourage and uplift as well as shares meaningful scriptures and quotes. Inside the front cover she writes:
Inside the kingdom of God is a temple.
Inside the temple is a daughter of Zion.
Inside the daughter of Zion is a quiet heart.
Inside the quiet heart is God's sanctuary.
"I will be to them as a little sanctuary . . . saith the Lord." (Ezekiel 11:16)
While I don't usually enjoy reading books like this because I feel guilty that I am not as spiritual as the authors suggest I should be, this book let me know that guilt is just a tool used to keep me from gaining that quiet heart I believe all of us wish for. She talks of the importance of prayer, scripture study, worshipping God, quiet meditation and the need to accept ourselves as unique and loved daughters of God. (A concept many women accept mentally but don't truly believe as they continually find fault with themselves. Why do we do that?) I found Holland's writing to be soothing, thought-provoking, and an impetus for me to change. I have opened this book several times in the past few days after I finished it to re-read the many quotes I had marked. Each time, I have felt moved and uplifted.
I think this may be the birthday poem I've been looking for:
Let us labour for an inward stillness--
An inward stillness and an inward healing;
That perfect silence, where the lips and heart
Are still, and we no longer entertain
Our own imperfect thoughts and vain opinions,
But God alone speaks in us, and we wait
In singleness of heart, that we may know
His will, and in the silence of our spirits
That we may do His will, and do that only.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Another wonderful passage on accepting ourselves and others:
"We simply cannot call ourselves Christian and continue to judge one another--or ourselves--so harshly . . . .Obviously the Lord has created us with different personalities, as well as differing degrees of energy, interest, health, talent, and opportunity. So long as we are committed to living righteously and with faithful devotion, we should celebrate these divine differences, knowing they are a gift from God. We must not feel so frightened; we must not be so threatened and insecure; we must not need to find exact replicas of ourselves in order to feel validated as women of worth."
Finally, a beautiful quote from Ezra Taft Benson:
"To live perfectly is to live happily. To live happily is to grow in spiritual strength toward perfection."
This is a wonderfully written book that conveys the author's own struggles to create a more fulfilling life and to deal with the trials she has faced along the way. She is able to share her faith in the Lord and urge the reader to improve her relationship with Deity without being preachy or sugary.
Rating: 5
Posted by Framed at 8:59 PM
3 comments:
Cassie said...
I now realize where I get my dislike of self-help or even LDS spiritual books from. Though this one sounds great. I loved all those quotes. Things like that are things I deal with constantly, to just be happy to be me and know that God loves me.
9:21 AM
booklogged said...
I need to reread this one. Just reading your thoughts about the book and the quotes you've shared brings a certain quietness to me. Longfellow's poem makes a significant birthday poem.
2:02 PM
Orange Blossom Goddess (aka Heather) said...
Quietness is an admirable goal. I'll have to add this book to my Mountain. Thank you for posting those lovely quotes.
2:51 PM
Inside the kingdom of God is a temple.
Inside the temple is a daughter of Zion.
Inside the daughter of Zion is a quiet heart.
Inside the quiet heart is God's sanctuary.
"I will be to them as a little sanctuary . . . saith the Lord." (Ezekiel 11:16)
While I don't usually enjoy reading books like this because I feel guilty that I am not as spiritual as the authors suggest I should be, this book let me know that guilt is just a tool used to keep me from gaining that quiet heart I believe all of us wish for. She talks of the importance of prayer, scripture study, worshipping God, quiet meditation and the need to accept ourselves as unique and loved daughters of God. (A concept many women accept mentally but don't truly believe as they continually find fault with themselves. Why do we do that?) I found Holland's writing to be soothing, thought-provoking, and an impetus for me to change. I have opened this book several times in the past few days after I finished it to re-read the many quotes I had marked. Each time, I have felt moved and uplifted.
I think this may be the birthday poem I've been looking for:
Let us labour for an inward stillness--
An inward stillness and an inward healing;
That perfect silence, where the lips and heart
Are still, and we no longer entertain
Our own imperfect thoughts and vain opinions,
But God alone speaks in us, and we wait
In singleness of heart, that we may know
His will, and in the silence of our spirits
That we may do His will, and do that only.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Another wonderful passage on accepting ourselves and others:
"We simply cannot call ourselves Christian and continue to judge one another--or ourselves--so harshly . . . .Obviously the Lord has created us with different personalities, as well as differing degrees of energy, interest, health, talent, and opportunity. So long as we are committed to living righteously and with faithful devotion, we should celebrate these divine differences, knowing they are a gift from God. We must not feel so frightened; we must not be so threatened and insecure; we must not need to find exact replicas of ourselves in order to feel validated as women of worth."
Finally, a beautiful quote from Ezra Taft Benson:
"To live perfectly is to live happily. To live happily is to grow in spiritual strength toward perfection."
This is a wonderfully written book that conveys the author's own struggles to create a more fulfilling life and to deal with the trials she has faced along the way. She is able to share her faith in the Lord and urge the reader to improve her relationship with Deity without being preachy or sugary.
Rating: 5
Posted by Framed at 8:59 PM
3 comments:
Cassie said...
I now realize where I get my dislike of self-help or even LDS spiritual books from. Though this one sounds great. I loved all those quotes. Things like that are things I deal with constantly, to just be happy to be me and know that God loves me.
9:21 AM
booklogged said...
I need to reread this one. Just reading your thoughts about the book and the quotes you've shared brings a certain quietness to me. Longfellow's poem makes a significant birthday poem.
2:02 PM
Orange Blossom Goddess (aka Heather) said...
Quietness is an admirable goal. I'll have to add this book to my Mountain. Thank you for posting those lovely quotes.
2:51 PM
# posted by Framed @ 5:23 PM 
