25 Quotes by Holley Gerth

My refusal to ever have conflict with others meant I was in conflict with myself.

We are much more than pretty... we are wonderfully made. We are much more than likable... we are deeply loved. We are much more than ok... we are the daughters of the King.

What I do know is that there are two kinds of pain in this life: risk and regret. I'd rather live with the first than the second.

But God doesn't want us to stay broken in any area of our lives. He's not an insurance adjuster holding out until the last minute before he's willing to repair the damage. He wants us to be whole. He wants to heal our hearts. He wants to restore what has been damaged.

While God does want us to be open with others, he also encourages us to put boundaries in place as we do. He talks repeatedly about guarding our hearts. So what’s the difference? Hiding is a response out of fear, while guarding is a proactive choice to protect what matters most. In other words, we’re not to deliberately put something of worth where it won’t be valued.

Here’s the reality: you’re not supposed to be perfect. You’re supposed to be human. And humans are messy, flawed, glorious, and deeply loved.

Fitting in and belonging are not the same thing, and, in fact, fitting in gets in the way of belonging. Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be to be accepted. Belonging, on the other hand, doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.

So what’s the difference between growth and our typical idea of “perfection”? Perfectionism is all or nothing. Growth is little by little. Perfectionism is all about the goal. Growth is more about the journey. Perfectionism is about outward appearances. Growth is about what happens on the inside. Perfectionism is about what we do. Growth is about who we’re becoming.

Sometimes what we see as wasted time is actually the training ground for what God has in store for us. The lessons we learn and the obstacles we overcome are preparation. Even the rocks you’re struggling to climb over today may be the stepping-stones of tomorrow. God never wastes anything. There is great value in where he has led you. And even if you have strayed from his path at times, he’s a Redeemer who can transform those mistakes into future benefits to you as well.