The harshest realities

on earth

are like shortcuts

to the Divine.

In the same way that Christ’s suffering on the cross ultimately led to His resurrection and ascent into heaven, good can come out of our own personal suffering too.

Of course, we want to avoid pain as much as possible because we’re human.

But when bad things happen, we have a choice: Will we buckle under the pressure and become bitter with despair? Or, will we look at our struggles through the lens of faith, trusting in the heavenly perspective that God is with us and plotting a beautiful time of resurrection for us?

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” In this beautiful scripture, we are challenged to believe that “all things” includes the very worst of life including illness, war, grief, tragedy, betrayal and more.

In times of intense suffering when we are stripped of our egoic concerns and powerless to help ourselves, we can quickly become more open to the transformative power of God, praying with more sincerity than ever before, growing in wisdom and expanding our capacity for the Holy Spirit.

Through an intense period of suffering, our intentions can be purified to a dramatic degree, and we can grow a lifetime of virtue in a short period of time.

Though it is a greater mystery than we can fully comprehend in our humanity – with the eyes of faith and a heavenly perspective, suffering can legitimately be seen as a blessing in our lives. Saint Augustine said “God judged it better to bring good out of evil, than to suffer that no evil exists.” Who are we to disagree with that?

Have you grown closer to the Lord through a time of trial or are you going through a time of intense personal suffering right now? Comment below, and I’ll be delighted to keep you in my prayers.

Lord in the times of our greatest pain, draw us closer to you. Help us to trust in Your Divine plan for good, even when our hearts are broken and we’re struggling to make sense of our lives. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.