Mary Me Quotes

“I believe existence is meant to be a love story. ”
― Elizabeth Bristol, Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God

“You’ve been here the whole time!” I could see it clearly. 
 
The calm, glowing One smiled, and all of a sudden, I knew. It hadn’t been fear telling me not to get on the boat, scaring me away from the fun. It was Jesus trying to spare me the agony of this trip because . . . because He loves me? Yes, He loves me! 
 
And there I’d stood, as if I’d had my hand on His chest, pushing Him away. What was I doing? Seeing Him now, I realized we’d been stuck in this pose a long time. I hadn’t wanted Him to go in case I needed Him, but I hadn’t wanted Him to come inside and control me. 
 
Ever so patiently—suspended in time, but oh-so-very present—Jesus held out His hand and invited me to dance. 
 
“Yes,” I yielded, and something so much more peaceful than peace settled inside even though the storm still raged, and the circumstances hadn’t budged. “Let’s dance.” 
 
Embraced in His arms, I fell asleep—even in the midst of those crazy waves. ”
― Elizabeth Bristol, Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God

“As the native drum kept rhythm with the nighttime symphony of the African bush, the cry of a hyrax (a small, furry animal that sounded a lot scarier than it looked) pierced the night. A hyena howled. A warthog ran through our camp. What was he running from? Sitting in front of my tent, I tried to figure everything out. I wouldn’t have called what I did prayer but maybe wonder. 
 
Night after night, I’d listened to the rush of a river or watched my own personal light show as lightning spider-webbed across the heavens, danced in the distance, and serenaded me with a muffled growl. Until a crash—so loud it seemed to break the sky—caused me to twitch as a shiver ran up my spine. 
 
“You know how it is when you feel someone staring at you from across the room?” I said to Truth. “You turn to meet the gaze. It was like that, but I saw no one. I just felt a comforting presence as we sat together in silence.” 
 
“You think it was God?” she asked. 
 
“Yeah, but I called him Fred. Not so overwhelming, more personal.” ”
― Elizabeth Bristol, Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God

“ . . . since God’s God, I assumed He could hear me, so I’d ask Him what He thought. And here’s the weird part, I’d pick up a book, a box of cereal, or catch a random conversation at the gym and hear what felt like His next line in our conversation! It was wild. ”
― Elizabeth Bristol, Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God

“It turns out happiness does come in relationship with the right guy. 
 
I found my Prince Charming in Jesus, my very own freedom fighter, supernatural life coach, and Prince of Peace. He comes through every time, saves me because He can’t not. That’s His nature. And I’ve peeked ahead to the end of the story. The Bible says He’s coming back to get us, riding on a white horse; no wonder that makes my heart skip a beat. ”
― Elizabeth Bristol, Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God

“I didn’t set out to look for God, but He didn’t trick me either. He’s not like that. So much about God is not like I thought. He’s way cooler than anyone said. And I did need Him, just not in the way others tried to package Him. This One, who’s capable of bringing us out the other side of whatever we’ve been through, is gentle, never hurried, and always present, even when He’s silent. ”
― Elizabeth Bristol, Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God

“Whenever I speak to a group, I always ask, “God, what is it You want me to say?” 
 
Over and over, and as if for the first time, He says, “Make sure . . .” 
 
I lean in, curious, totally forgetting the last twenty times. “Make sure of what?” 
 
“Make sure you tell them,” He pauses for effect, “that I love them.” ”
― Elizabeth Bristol, Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God

“You like telling your stories,” said my friend in that coffee shop, “because you’re secure enough in your current self, the self that’s firmly established in a godly life, that you can laugh at your mistakes, even the dark moments, while pointing to the light you stand in right now and say, ‘See? if I made it, so can you.”
― Elizabeth Bristol, Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God

“I struggled with anxiety and loneliness, even in a crowded room. I never felt like I was enough. I ate Tums like candy. And I know this sounds all beauty-contestant-answerish, but I just wanted inner peace, a place to come in out of the rain. I needed, well, God, really, but you couldn’t have told me that then, not until the crap hit the fan. You know, those no-one-can- save-you-but-God things? An actual life or death experience. I’m not kidding, I didn’t think I was going to live, but instinctively I cried out and BAM! There God was, not judgmental and mean, but the ultimate friend. He came through in a big way! I’ll be honest with you, I flippin’ drank the Kool-Aid. ”
― Elizabeth Bristol, Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God

“And without boundaries and a healthy support system, I didn’t know how to protect myself. Boy did I need someone to lock me in a turret, cut off my hair, and hide the key in the belly of a dragon. Trouble was, I didn’t live in a fairy tale and happily ever after wasn’t looking likely. 
 
After Alex, sex came easily. ”
― Elizabeth Bristol, Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God

“When I gave [God] a chance, I got what I believe He has for everyone, a unique and personal adventure that not only includes God but the destiny He wrote on each of our hearts. It doesn’t come without challenge, because, well, a story without tension would be boring. 
 
If we could ask Cinderella, she’d tell us that living out a fairytale is harder than watching one on TV. But the thrill? We’d never get that from an armchair. ”
― Elizabeth Bristol, Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God

“And I know, as we stand in the checkout line at the grocery store reading the latest scandal sheet, our culture tells us we can boil everything down to ten steps. But when it comes to a thing with God, I can’t do that. I think He’s got a unique adventure for each of us. For those who want it. ”
― Elizabeth Bristol, Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God

“I never expected this ride to include God, but His radical love and acceptance blew me away. Nothing else mattered, like who I was or what I’d done. He saw it all and still, He loved me. ”
― Elizabeth Bristol, Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God

“That night, I continued my on-going chat with God. “Did Pam’s prayer count? I love her. And I understand her wanting a ticket to heaven, but her prayer seemed more like fire insurance against hell than a heartfelt desire to hang out with You.” 
 
“Don’t worry.” God smiled. “No one comes to me with pure motives.” 
 
Wow! I thought for a minute. “You really do love us, don’t You?” 
 
“I do.”
― Elizabeth Bristol, Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God