Fidelity in the face of suffering

Today we celebrate the Passion of St. John the Baptist. A man clearly after God’s heart. But, that begs the question of why God allows suffering or persecution. I just read a quote from St. Teresa of Avila, where she poses to God, “If this is how you treat Your friends, I can see why You have so few.” We see God as a God of Mercy, of forgiveness. So, why does He allow us, and others, to bear burdens that are often too much to carry?

It is said that in the face of our storms, it is then that we most need God. And this is true. He is the one who will be there to comfort us and reassure us, just as any loving father would do. But, unlike God, our parents don’t like to see us suffer harm or hardship. They try to do everything possible to ease the journey for us. But God…yeah, He puts stumbling blocks in our path, allows us to carry much too much stress and anxiety, He allows our burdens to become so heavy that we almost are ready to buckle under the pressure of it all.

THERE IS HOPE!!!! God does these things, or allows these things because He is testing us and our faith. Will you run FROM God or TO God when it all becomes overwhelming? Do you feel He has forgotten you? Does He feel a million miles away, if at all present? I’ve “been there, done that”. I give up. I run from Him. He’s not hearing me. Life is just getting worse rather than better. Don’t feel bad if you do as I have done (and I’ve done it many, many times in my life). This is God’s way of building us up in our faith and reliance on Him. Going back to God, or relying on God is sort of like an addiction and it’s recovery. God is sitting there, waiting for you…He’s waiting till you hit rock bottom. But that’s a good thing, because once you go down as far as you ever were, the only other way out is UP!

God is sitting there, thrumming His fingers and shaking His head “Oh child of Mine…” He’s just waiting for the right moment, the right time in your life when you will accept the hand He is holding out for you. You are the prodigal child, the one who must run away and “sow your oats” to realize how much you miss being “home”. God is patient. God is kind. He will welcome you back with open arms.

However, as any good parent knows, no reunion goes without a scolding. God will reprimand you, so be ready for it. Be ready to be humbled and brought to your knees. “Oh child, why do you continually run from Me? Am I not enough?” Yikes. Harsh. Instead of feeling judged or feeling like a loser, or you let the Almighty down, really think about the question. Why DO you run from Him? Once you have that answer, you are ready to come back to Him and start again. Beg forgiveness. Show humility. Admit your wrongdoings. Learn from your mistakes. Remember, when we have nowhere else to go, up is always the best choice!