truth in piles of notes

I am reading textbooks, doing research, making connections, developing curriculum... trying to bring many pieces from all kinds of sources into one giant curriculum (for my culminating program project)! It's a fun but incredibly tedious task. I keep getting little bursts of ideas... which have turned into scribbled notes on little papers lying all over my bed and floor. I just have to collect all of my little notes, try to read my own handwriting, and make some organized sense of all of my notes. I think it can be done. =) This is getting really fun... seriously, it is.

In all of my reading in the past few days, I stumbled across this line today... which has absolutely stopped me in my tracks and pierced my heart. Incredible truth from my piles of notes....

The spirit of wisdom and gentle discernment is given only to saints who seek God through the worst anguish and who learn to yield cherished dreams to God's purposes. ~Larry Crabb, Connecting

What hope. Anguish and surrendered dreams are not for naught. The process of moving and working through anguish and shattered dreams brings about a deeper, closer relationship with God and an ability to offer wise and gentle counsel to those around us. What hope... what redemption. God is amazing in the ways that He works to bring beauty out of ashes... and good out of pain. I love Him.