“When Jesus is with us, all is well and nothing seems insurmountable. But when Jesus is absent, everything is difficult. If Jesus does not speak to us inwardly, all other comfort is meaningless. But the slightest communication from him brings consolation.
Life without Jesus is like a dry garden, baking in sun. It is foolish to want anything that conflicts with Jesus. What can the world give you without Jesus? His absence is hell; his presence, paradise. If Jesus is with you, no enemy can injure you. Whoever finds Jesus has discovered a great treasure, the best of all possible good. The loss of him is a tremendous misfortune, more than the loss of the entire world. Poverty is life without Jesus, but close friendship with him is incalculable wealth.”
An obscure member of the religious order of Canons Regular, too humble to sign his name, is nevertheless given initial credit for these words about Christ. Thomas a Kempis first wrote these words in the classic Imitation of Christ.
Bernard Bangley formulated this contemporary paraphrase as recounted by Calvin Miller in The Book of Jesus: A Treasury of the Greatest Stories and Writings about Christ (New York: Touchstone, 1998) 166-167.