Oh dear brother Mark. I felt like I needed to take a bright red highlighter to every word. As soon as I read one pithy statement and exclaimed, "That's it!" I read the next sentence and felt the same way. God has truly used you to minister to my darkened suffering soul today. God bless you.
I am so thankful for your emails. I believe I connected to you through Cordial Catholic after you were interviewed a bit ago. I do feel blessed with the connection.
Thank you, Mark. Very timely, as the world seems fraught with angst over many current uncertainties. In our frantic efforts--especially in the West--to avoid suffering: things like non-stop entertainment, drugs, alcohol, etc, we end up bringing upon ourselves pointless and endless sufferings. But to suffer with Christ is, as you point out, ultimately to gain eternal life. Sounds like a good wager to me.
I concur. An excellent summary of both the cultural attitude to contemporary suffering and a biblical approach that focuses on Christ’s death. Thank you.
You make so many good points here brother. But when I read the fuller context of 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul is not saying, that “God won’t ask us to enter into more suffering than we can handle”. I believe that is a common misinterpretation of that verse. Life has shown us the exact opposite to be true- as do all your points above. God allows life to be entirely overwhelming- it takes us to our sensorial, mental, and emotional limits and then keeps on going, again and again. Life is way more than any of us can handle and sometimes leads us to absolute despair. As Paul says earlier in Corinthians 1:8 “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.” Jesus certainly came to that same point when he cried out on the cross. We all have those times that break us- and sometimes it leads to profound transformation and renewal on this side of life, and sometimes, sadly, it leads to suicide. But truly, as you say, we suffer all of this together, and God suffers all of this with us and is intimately with us in it all, wether we can see that or not. I believe it’s true- for in Him we live and breath and have our being. It’s all happening in God and in God’s infinite Love and Grace. Lord help us though when it can be so hard to see that Presence and feel that Love. Yet another reason why it’s so so important to come together and weep with those who are weeping.
Oh dear brother Mark. I felt like I needed to take a bright red highlighter to every word. As soon as I read one pithy statement and exclaimed, "That's it!" I read the next sentence and felt the same way. God has truly used you to minister to my darkened suffering soul today. God bless you.
I am so thankful for your emails. I believe I connected to you through Cordial Catholic after you were interviewed a bit ago. I do feel blessed with the connection.
Profoundly true. Such a timely reminder about what matters.
Thank you Mark - a piece I will come back to again and again.
As always, thank you for leading us to the eternal perspective!
Thank you, Mark. Very timely, as the world seems fraught with angst over many current uncertainties. In our frantic efforts--especially in the West--to avoid suffering: things like non-stop entertainment, drugs, alcohol, etc, we end up bringing upon ourselves pointless and endless sufferings. But to suffer with Christ is, as you point out, ultimately to gain eternal life. Sounds like a good wager to me.
I suffer from depression. I usually don't see it as redemptive, but I offer it up to the Lord to join with his redemptive power.
No clear understanding of the battle between spiritual forces in the church body in general.
I concur. An excellent summary of both the cultural attitude to contemporary suffering and a biblical approach that focuses on Christ’s death. Thank you.
Great piece. Thank you for writing! That third paragraph was especially on the money.
You make so many good points here brother. But when I read the fuller context of 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul is not saying, that “God won’t ask us to enter into more suffering than we can handle”. I believe that is a common misinterpretation of that verse. Life has shown us the exact opposite to be true- as do all your points above. God allows life to be entirely overwhelming- it takes us to our sensorial, mental, and emotional limits and then keeps on going, again and again. Life is way more than any of us can handle and sometimes leads us to absolute despair. As Paul says earlier in Corinthians 1:8 “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.” Jesus certainly came to that same point when he cried out on the cross. We all have those times that break us- and sometimes it leads to profound transformation and renewal on this side of life, and sometimes, sadly, it leads to suicide. But truly, as you say, we suffer all of this together, and God suffers all of this with us and is intimately with us in it all, wether we can see that or not. I believe it’s true- for in Him we live and breath and have our being. It’s all happening in God and in God’s infinite Love and Grace. Lord help us though when it can be so hard to see that Presence and feel that Love. Yet another reason why it’s so so important to come together and weep with those who are weeping.
Thank you, Mark.