“People today are complicated, multi-faceted, confused, and in one way
or another, their souls are layered: layer upon layer of blindness, layer upon layer of callousness, layer upon layer of pride. For this reason they are never healed once and for all. As soon as you take a humble attitude, though, Grace intervenes and works a miracle: you are freed. But the work does not end here. This Grace, this light, this healing that comes, proceeds also to the next layer further down. And here the sin is more unyielding, is more strongly rooted, the resistance is uncompromising. If you say, ‘May it be blessed, My God. I will look even deeper and I will acknowledge my stubbornness and my sin, and will humble myself,’ then another miracle takes place. And in some incomprehensible way, the second and the third, the fourth and the fifth layers of the soul are put right. But some people will not accept this. They remain at the superficial layers, and spend their life like this and are never healed.”
— Archimandrite Symeon Kragiopoulos, author of Do you Know Yourself?
Gladsome Lights 
Thank you for sharing…I want to be healed.
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Amen!! That is so good and so true to the road I am on!
Charles (and Leslie)
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a very Lenten quotation (I looked up the book, it seems to be out of print and very costly so if you have, hold on to it!).
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If this article were written in USA Today the headline would be: So you think you forgave it? Think again! …Very validating article on the strange circular or helix based path we pave — I wonder how it looks to God? This is why I believe that music and art are needed…to keep us nourished on this journey.
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A most beautiful invitation…daily.
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Wonderfully said, but I think to get through those layers upon layers will take most of my lifetime. Once I finally give it up, then it will be time to go home. Always such a struggle I think to choose to die daily.
Very profound Gretchen, I am praying for you xxx
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This is full of truth and my heart welcomes it. Thank you, friend. I am holding you so dear, so tightly. Sending love and peace.
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So well expressed. Healing that goes deep takes time – a life time of surrender and grace.
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I want Him to chip away at my crusty layers. Lifting you up to the Father today.
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Pastor Smokey Hurt wrote in this weeks Baptist publication: “…week after week we come together to exalt God, but we are weighed down, our spiritual backpacks crammed with all sorts of other hidden sins.”… “Never should a true child of God bear the pain of unconfessed sin. As His children, we are to bring our sins to the light of the CROSS.” Col. 2:14 says “by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” It’s uncanny how the Spirit teaches .
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Not only during Holy Week, but daily a cross bearer is what we are to be. This is a beautiful description of my life right now…He is removing the layers.
“…but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite heart, and trembles at my word.” Isaiah 66:2b
There is much I could say here, but it is not the place. A simple thank you for posting this will suffice.
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