Very often I think, we are quick to try to rid ourselves of suffering and sorrow. Thanks to Cindy Rabedeaux for sharing her reflections on the benefits that suffering offers us, based on a Streams In The Desert devotional she had read:
Ecclesiastes 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. “Sorrow, under the power of divine grace, performs various ministries in our lives. Sorrow reveals unknown depths of the soul, and unknown capacities for suffering and service. Sorrow is God’s tool to plow the depths of the soul, that it may yield richer harvests. It is sorrow that causes us to take the time to think deeply and seriously. Sorrow makes us move more slowly and considerately and examine our motives and attitudes. It opens with in us the capacities of the heavenly life, and it makes us willing to set our capacities afloat on a limitless sea of service for God and for others. God never uses anyone to a great degree until he breaks the person completely. Every person and every nation must endure lessons in God’s school of adversity. In the same way we say, blessed is the night, for it reveals the stars to us, we can say, blessed is sorrow, for it reveals God’s comfort.”
Thanks Cindy for the reminder that difficult times can be used to plow the depths of our soul so that our lives can bear richer harvests. It is like my dear sister said to me: God doesn’t waste pain. Let us not waste it either.
PS- A shout out to my beloved and beautiful bride who celebrates her birthday today. I won’t say how many years, just that she is not eligible for Medicare until NEXT year!
