April 6

The Wisdom of Frederick Buechner

Some claim he is the most quoted of all Christian writers, so some of Frederick Buechner's wisdom may be familiar to you. If not, pause for a moment today and reflect on snippets of his writing below. You might also be encouraged by this profile of Beuchner from 1997, which speaks to his conversion, his humble spirit, and the brokenness of his character.

“Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace." - Now and Then: A Memoir of Vocation

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” - Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC

“Stop trying to protect, to rescue, to judge, to manage the lives around you . . . remember that the lives of others are not your business. They are their business. They are God’s business . . . even your own life is not your business. It also is God’s business. Leave it to God. It is an astonishing thought. It can become a life-transforming thought . . . unclench the fists of your spirit and take it easy . . . What deadens us most to God’s presence within us, I think, is the inner dialogue that we are continuously engaged in with ourselves, the endless chatter of human thought. I suspect that there is nothing more crucial to true spiritual comfort . . . than being able from time to time to stop that chatter . . . ” - Telling Secrets

“To be commanded to love God at all, let alone in the wilderness, is like being commanded to be well when we are sick, to sing for joy when we are dying of thirst, to run when our legs are broken. But this is the first and great commandment nonetheless. Even in the wilderness - especially in the wilderness - you shall love him.” - A Room Called Remember

What line(s) most resonate with your heart?