"You know," Liesl said now, tucking a hand in my arm as we walked. "I have to tell you something I have been thinking about for a long time, ever since Uncle Abe died."
"Yes?"
"I notice that the English are always saying, 'I'm sorry for your loss, so sorry for your loss.' It is an appropriate expression, I suppose."
"I nodded, wondering where she was going with this.
"But for me," she continued, "what I realized is that at other times when things are going well and a person is finding herself to be quite successful and affluent, earning and achieving and expanding, what I would like to say is 'I am sorry for your gain.'
I couldn't help but laugh, asking what on earth she meant.
"Just that the ways of God's people are not the ways of this world. Success and money and achievement can be a terrible hindrance to one's spiritual life. At least at times of loss, we are reminded of our priorities, of our many blessings. In times of gain, we can so often lose our way. This is why the Amish stress simplicity in all things at all times, because nothing should ever be allowed to turn our eyes away from what is truly important, from the cross."
Excerpt from Secrets of Harmony Grove, pgs 361, 362
by Mindy Clark Starns
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