Autobiography of Madame Guyon

Autobiography of Madame Guyon

"My earnest wish is to paint in true colors the goodness of God to me, and the depth of my own ingratitude."

Jeanne Marie Bouvie de La Motte was born near Paris in 1648. She was a sickly child who married a wealthy neighbor (22 years her senior) when she was 16 years of age. At age 28 she was a widow with three small children.

At age 47 she was imprisoned because her writings about God and prayer ran contrary to the established Church of the time. She lost her freedom for 7 years during which time she continued to write about the God she loved.

"People want to direct God instead of resigning themselves to be directed by Him. They want to show Him a way, instead of passively following that wherein He leads them. Hence many souls, called to enjoy God Himself, and not barely His gifts, spend all their lives in running after little consolations, and feeding on them-resting there only, making all their happiness to consist therin."

You are invited to read Madame Guyon's autobiography and judge for yourself if her experiences and writings are ones to condemn or condone.