--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are doomed to remain incomplete in our…" description: "\"“We are doomed to remain incomplete in our present existence. Our hopes and deepest longings will remain nothing but just that; Our hopes and longings...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/alister-e-mcgrath-11214_desire_we-are-doomed-to-remain-incomplete-in-ou_631221.jpg" --- # We are doomed to remain incomplete in our present… ![“We are doomed to remain incomplete in our present existence. Our hopes and deepest longings will remain nothing but just that; Our hopes and longings. This bittersweet tension remains real, even for the Christian who increasingly becomes aware of the wonder of God and the inadequacy of our present…” quote by Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/alister-e-mcgrath-11214_desire_we-are-doomed-to-remain-incomplete-in-ou_631221.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/alister-e-mcgrath-11214_desire_we-are-doomed-to-remain-incomplete-in-ou_631221.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/alister-e-mcgrath-11214_desire_we-are-doomed-to-remain-incomplete-in-ou_631221.jpg) > ““We are doomed to remain incomplete in our present existence. Our hopes and deepest longings will remain nothing but just that; Our hopes and longings. This bittersweet tension remains real, even for the Christian who increasingly becomes aware of the wonder of God and the inadequacy of our present grasp of that wonder. There is a sense of postponement, of longing, of wistful yearning, of groaning under the strain of having to tolerate the present when the future offers so much. Perhaps the finest statement of this exquisite agony is found in Augustine s cry, I am groaning with inexpressible groanings on my wanderer s path and remembering Jerusalem with my heart lifted up towards it - Jerusalem my homeland, Jerusalem my mother. We are exiled from our homeland - but its memories haunt us.”” [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human longing for ultimate meaning persists, creating a bittersweet tension between present limits and future hope. **In simple terms:** We long for something beyond our reach. Key Takeaway Embrace the yearning as a guide. Themes spiritual yearning hope longing Mood reflective melancholic Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - personal prayer - artistic creation - academic study - counseling Key Concepts theology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What does your “Jerusalem” represent? - How can you honor present struggles while hoping for future fulfillment? A Different Perspective The tension can cause despair if not balanced with present gratitude. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) [Longings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longings/) [Nostalgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgia/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Yearning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yearning/) ## Related quotes > [“If it were possible to create objects to meet one’s deepest longings then nobody would need God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-granville/if-it-were-possible-to-create-objects-to-meet-one-s-deepest-longings/) [Eliza Granville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-granville/) > [One of the deepest longings of the human soul is to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/one-of-the-deepest-longings-of-the-human-soul-is-to-be-seen/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [“Perhaps it is not surprising, then, that we do the same with our deepest longings for God. God does not always come to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/perhaps-it-is-not-surprising-then-that-we-do-the-same-with-our/) [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) > [There is no man on the face of the earth who can satisfy the deepest longings of a woman's heart--God made us in such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-leigh-demoss/there-is-no-man-on-the-face-of-the-earth-who-can-satisfy-the-deepest/) [Nancy Leigh DeMoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-leigh-demoss/) > [We are the total of our longings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-gavriel-kay/we-are-the-total-of-our-longings/) [Guy Gavriel Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-gavriel-kay/) > [I have an unquenchable desire to slow down and find my life going deeper in my walk with Christ. I want to meet him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stowell/i-have-an-unquenchable-desire-to-slow-down-and-find-my-life-going/) [Joseph Stowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stowell/) > [How terrible it is to have no cares, no longings. I do not fit. I feel too deeply and want too much. As cages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/how-terrible-it-is-to-have-no-cares-no-longings-i-do-not-fit-i-feel/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [One of the greatest human longings is to be close to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-r-fischer/one-of-the-greatest-human-longings-is-to-be-close-to-someone/) Kathleen R Fischer > [Never cut loose from your longings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/never-cut-loose-from-your-longings/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [...all his longings came out as a kind of disdain for what he longed for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hollinghurst/all-his-longings-came-out-as-a-kind-of-disdain-for-what-he-longed-for/) [Alan Hollinghurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hollinghurst/) > [It is a time when one’s spirit is subdued and sad, one knows not why; when the past seems a storm-swept desolation, life a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-a-time-when-one-s-spirit-is-subdued-and-sad-one-knows-not-why/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Sometimes it has to do with other longings that are much more existential. Sometimes you go elsewhere not because you are not liking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/sometimes-it-has-to-do-with-other-longings-that-are-much-more/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [It is a happy thing that time quells the longings of vengeance and hushes the promptings of rage and aversion. I had left this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/it-is-a-happy-thing-that-time-quells-the-longings-of-vengeance-and/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [ “\[She was\] a creature full of eager, passionate longings for all that was beautiful and glad; thirsty for all knowledge; with an ear straining… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/she-was-a-creature-full-of-eager-passionate-longings-for-all-that-was/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“In our deepest longings we hear echoes of God's longing for us. And the more we can follow these deep-down desires, those that God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martin/in-our-deepest-longings-we-hear-echoes-of-god-s-longing-for-us-and/) [James Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martin/) ## More by Alister E. McGrath > [The success of the Inklings also helps us to see criticism in a positive light. There are, unfortunately, people who boost their own sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/the-success-of-the-inklings-also-helps-us-to-see-criticism-in-a/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [“The medieval period based its scriptural exegesis upon the Vulgate translation of the Bible. There was no authorized version of this text, despite the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/the-medieval-period-based-its-scriptural-exegesis-upon-the-vulgate/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [“Lewis's mental map of reality had difficulty accommodating the trauma of the Great War. Like so many, he found the settled way of looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/lewis-s-mental-map-of-reality-had-difficulty-accommodating-the-trauma/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [Good does not triumph unless good people rise to the challenges around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/good-does-not-triumph-unless-good-people-rise-to-the-challenges/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [Surely the better way is to pursue a generous orthodoxy, seeing disagreements in the context of the greater agreements which bind us together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/surely-the-better-way-is-to-pursue-a-generous-orthodoxy-seeing/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [Rational argument does not create belief, but it maintains a climate in which belief may flourish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/rational-argument-does-not-create-belief-but-it-maintains-a-climate/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [We live on earth; our homeland is in heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/we-live-on-earth-our-homeland-is-in-heaven/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [The true believer is not someone who disengages from this world in order to focus on heaven, but rather the one who tries to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/the-true-believer-is-not-someone-who-disengages-from-this-world-in/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [“The rising influence of lay piety is particularly marked upon the Mariological controversies of the late medieval period. Two rival positions developed: the maculist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/the-rising-influence-of-lay-piety-is-particularly-marked-upon-the/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [We must not think that religious concerns swamped all other social activities. They simply provided a focal point for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/we-must-not-think-that-religious-concerns-swamped-all-other-social/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [To reenchant nature is not merely to gain a new perspective for its integrity and well-being; it is to throw open the doors to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/to-reenchant-nature-is-not-merely-to-gain-a-new-perspective-for-its/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [“For Lewis, Christianity doesn’t just make sense of things. It changes our stories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/for-lewis-christianity-doesn-t-just-make-sense-of-things-it-changes/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [Hope is rooted in the trustworthiness of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/hope-is-rooted-in-the-trustworthiness-of-god/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [Suffering does not call into question the "big picture" of the Christian faith. It reminds us that we do not see the whole picture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/suffering-does-not-call-into-question-the-big-picture-of-the/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [Our desires cannot be, and were never meant to be, satisfied by earthly pleasures alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/our-desires-cannot-be-and-were-never-meant-to-be-satisfied-by-earthly/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) [Explore all 61 Alister E. McGrath quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) ## More Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We are doomed to remain incomplete in our present existence. Our hopes and deepest longings will remain nothing but just that; Our hopes and longings. This bittersweet tension remains real, even for the Christian who increasingly becomes aware of the wonder of God and the inadequacy of our present grasp of that wonder. There is a sense of postponement, of longing, of wistful yearning, of groaning under the strain of having to tolerate the present when the future offers so much. 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