It’s just amazing and almost miraculous when I have felt I cannot keep going any longer, and all of the sudden, something happens that clears everything. It may come as an additional push of strength, or someone’s timely advice, or a movie you watch, or on the clarity of a solution, but it always comes.
Thomas Merton, in his book “No Man Is An Island,” says: “To believe in suffering is pride: but to suffer, believing in God, is humility.” This is mainly because pride tells us that we are strong enough to go through life and problems on our own; we can power through them with need of no one but ourselves because we are that good. However, humility tells us that even though suffering is an evil thing, it gives us the opportunity to experience the mercy of God, whose grace allows us to overcome evil with good.
Put this way, suffering is good. It allows us to receive abundantly from God and make us better and stronger. The Letter of St. Paul to Titus says: “But when the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy. (Ti 3:4-5). However, suffering does not come from God; it is the result of the fall of men and our collective sins.
Suffering is also a good opportunity to practice endurance of our faith, especially in prolonged periods of suffering. Faith is not only to believe in what you cannot see. Its Greek translation corresponds to the “noun πίστις (pistis) or the verb πιστεύω (pisteuo), meaning to trust, to have confidence, faithfulness, to be reliable, to assure” (Source: Wikipedia). It is then an attitude of firm conviction (not a hope or idea) that God will provide for you and helps you coming through that suffering.
I still remember like yesterday those 11 months that I was pursuing my move to California. It was very hard at work… I had to practice patience, endurance and humility almost every week. And one week, when I thought I just cannot keep going, I was driving and started to talk with God. I said something like, “God, after this interview, I will take a couple of months off. If this desire is not aligned with Your Will, please take it away… but if it is aligned, send me a sign and make it stronger.” The very next day, I got a phone call with a job offer. This was not me… this was supernatural… this was the mysterious grace of God! This became a strong testimony in my life to trust the Lord and let Him work things on his timing.
Do you have similar examples? Please share. Let’s rejoice and inspire one another on the works of faith in our lives.
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