Hello, what a pleasure to talk again..
Let’s breathe together, today we will touch on a difficult aspect of life. Ready?
By this point in life, you’ve probably had your share of experiencing pain and suffering.
Can we ask God to take away our suffering?
Of course!!
Perhaps God will ask us to give it up, instead of taking it away from us, because God is a gentleman.
What is our part in giving it all up? The answer is framed by the situation that each one is experiencing. We are all different, and we cannot generalize or compare the pain of difficult experiences.
So what can it mean to give the pain and suffering up?
Get out of the situation
Change friendships or relationships
Seek medical attention
Commit to a 12-step program
Therapy
Change diet
File a report to the police
Be patient
Have difficult conversations
Among many other options…
The human experience is rich and mysterious. I suppose that no one consciously seeks pain or suffering. And yet we experience it.
Some time ago I told God that I wanted to grow as a person, and it wasn’t until a few days ago, that I realized talking to a friend, that those experiences of pain have been the fertilizer that is helping me grow. I think God took it very seriously, because he gave me a large amount of fertilizer in a relatively short time. Since God knows that I trust him, he knows that I can take things with a sense of humor, ha ha… Rather, I choose to take them with a sense of humor.
God does his part, and his part is not to cause pain, but to heal and restore.
Including in, what for me is navigating through my difficult situations, is expressing what is inside me with the right person, at the right time. Expressing without being afraid of the words that arise, overwhelming feelings, or temporary convictions of desolation. God is not afraid of my words or feelings. God has listened to me in the midst of very difficult situations, and that does not change his love.
There was a man named Job who also taught me that it is completely valid to express everything, everything, to God. ,
God also wants to listen to you.
I know a carpenter, with so much love, who walked and healed the sick. Many people looked for him, because they knew he could help them.
And you, do you know the carpenter?
For you today, what does it mean to approach him for healing?
Here, the question I offer you is to examine what is your part. God does his part.
I’m not sure God causes suffering. What I am sure of is that the love of God is the source of healing. And healing is a process.
Ideally this conversation should not be between just you and me. But also between God and you.
And perhaps, we will come to a time when we also experience an instant miracle, even if it takes several years.
If you find yourself in the middle of a lot of shit… remember that maybe it’s the fertilizer with which you can grow.
Marisol
P.S. Details of Job expressing himself, as well as the carpenter healing the sick, and not causing pain or suffering, can be found in the readings for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B
