Touched by an Angel -- Maya Angelou

Here's the full poem by Maya Angelou. I first found/heard this back in 1996-ish when I was in college; I forgot how much these profound words resonated with me and described how I feel.

Enjoy!

Touched by an Angel

We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.

--Maya Angelou

Love Sets Us Free

One of my favorite quotes from a poem by Maya Angelou was included in a recent email I received. Thought I'd share the profound words:

"In the flush of love's light we dare be brave
And suddenly we see that love costs
all we are and ever will be
Yet it's only love that sets us free"

-- Maya Angelou

Tender Mercies of the Lord

A wonderful reminder from Elder David A. Bednar about the Lord's tender mercies.

God Wants to Answer Our Prayers

A thought from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland that I needed to hear today:

God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future—to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities.

God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast," Church Education System Fireside, 12 September 2004 (emphasis added).