By Rev. Derek P. Elphick
I have a special book I've carried with me from my very first pastorate down in Florida. I keep it in my desk and whenever I come across a "quotable quote" I scribble it down. Perhaps you do the same thing. For me, they're usually one-liners and they come from multiple sources. I've collected secular ones like "A man is seldom better than his conversation" (German Proverb), or "It is always too soon to quit" (Unknown), or "Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience" (Emerson), or "You're alive to the degree you help people" (John Travolta) or "If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough" (Mario Andretti), or "I knew a man who grabbed a cat by the tail and learned 40 percent more about cats than the man who didn't" (Mark Twain), or "If you're going through hell, keep going" (Winston Churchill). And of course, I have numerous religious quotes that have jumped out at me over the years like "If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done" (Paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 11:4), or "All we are is the result of what we have thought" (Buddha), or "When truth is used in life it becomes good" (Apocalypse Revealed 17), or "Vidi, avdivi, sensi" - I have seen, I have heard, I have felt (Emanuel Swedenborg), or "A person can be friends with anyone, but he must first be friends with what is good" (Arcana Coelestia 4804), or "Temptations come when good starts to play the leading role" (Arcana Coelestia 4341), or "All of the truths of the Word are mirrors that reflect the Lord" (True Christianity 580), or "Pride glues falsities together" (Apocalypse Revealed 421), or "For those who believe in the Lord, life grows clearer and clearer" (Arcana Coelestia 448).
We all remember simple statements, truths, or sayings that made an impression on us. We see in them wisdom and inspiration - they ring true. This is because our hearts and minds are in constant recording mode, laying "up treasures in heaven." We write these treasures down or commit them to memory because we believe they are true or, as is often the case, want them to be true! I'd like to end with what I consider to be the most unique, merciful invitation I've ever read anywhere: "Reader, treasure this up within you, and after death... inquire whether this is true, and you will see." (Apocalypse Explained 984:3) What a relief! The Lord understands our doubts and frustrations. It's okay if we don't have everything figured out. We're invited to "treasure up" those questions or concerns and hold onto them. We will find out the answer. That much is certain.