Our lives are regularly affected, in some
degree, by stress and anxiety. There are
disappointments, failures, farewells, deaths,
lost opportunities, accidents, disrupted
personal relationships, and so on.
How many times have we felt unwanted,
deliberately ignored, or rejected? These
things wound us at the core of our being.
If God is loving and merciful, why do we have to
experience all these?
God knows our anguish and loneliness. It is in
suffering that we develop our values. It
is in our trials that we acquire the wisdom to
know, to love and to honor Him.
God's teachings tell us
that from all eternity, we were chosen as part
of the divine plan of creation for a purpose.
We are not just one of many - as a single grain
in a handful of sand. Rather, through a
deliberate act of divine love, God chose each
one of us, singled us out by name, and put us
into human existence. It is because of
love that God strengthens our faith, so that we
may live a better life.
Between these misfortunes, there are also times
of relief and peace. It is during these
times of respite that we could rebuild our
energy and make adjustments in our lives.
It is during this period that we look within
ourselves and analyze what God wants us to do.
It is wise to rest and it is good to rest in
God’s peace and consolidate our blessings.
Our strength and faith may be drained and tested
in times of trial, but in moments of peace we
can appreciate the support that God gives us
throughout our lives. No matter how low or
how left out we feel, we can raise our broken
hearts to God and say, “You chose me. I am
special to you. Support me now that the
help of those around me has failed.”
For years, I have tried to saturate my mind with
passages from the Bible. They are the best
medicine for stress, anxiety and fear that I
have ever known. In times of distress and
need, we can find strength in Christ’s words.
They are there for us in the Gospels, words
overflowing with comfort and assurance: “I
will give you rest;” “I’m with you always;” “Let
not your hearts be troubled;” “Your sins are
forgiven.”
Each of these words is
Christ holding out a hand to us, inviting us to
trust. And they are not simply words; they
are promises, acts, and doings of God. If
we can put faith in our friends who assure us of
their fidelity, how much more may we put our
hands and our hearts with confidence into the
loving hands of Christ, who gave His life as a
guarantee of His promise.
However, it’s not always easy to follow Christ.
No matter how persistently we cling to Jesus our
faith is always tested. Voices come from so many
different directions: friends, family, church
leaders, television and newspapers. It isn’t
always clear which one to listen.
How are we to know? We live in a culture that
places high value on our social activities.
Indeed, we are very conscious of what others
think. One difference between a child and an
adult is the freedom to act, not according to
outside influences, but according to what we
believe and who we really are. What
distinguishes a child from an adult is the
capacity to be guided by the spirit of the
Gospel, not by maturity.
When so many voices are clamoring for attention,
we can only pray that we’ll remain focus and
recognize the voice of Jesus. We are justified
by our faith, our private relationship with God;
that what really counts!
By
Tim Pedrosa
We also
rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces
perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. ~Romans 5:3
and 4
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Tim
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