Teach Repentance and the NEED to CHANGE –
There is so much suffering in vain in the lives of many. God allows such suffering to teach us His blessed ways. Some people aren’t looking for God’s lessons, and they aren’t changing their sinful ways…and the suffering continues. As I counsel many of God’s suffering people, I see that the reason behind the all pain and confusion is universal; it is the consequence of sin. Sometimes they are suffering due to their own sins, sometimes it is because of the sins of others. In either case the result of sin is still the same—pain.
They spend countless hours drowning in anguish, trying to discover the root source of the problem so they can end the pain. They look everywhere but to their own sins. They look to everyone but to God for the help and guidance they need. The lesson God had for them to learn, since nobody is perfect, through the suffering from their sins or the sins of others, is lost. The closeness with God that could have been gained is gone. Offering the Father their pain and uniting with Christ on the cross in atonement (payment) for their sins never occurs. The direction God wanted to give them is not received. So much could have been gained, but so much was lost.
Sometimes God allows illness after illness or so other kind of pain (emotional or physical) to enter into someone’s life. It is a sign of God’s love, so they can grow closer to Him and learn to turn to Him with complete trust for real peace and joy during all circumstances and receive the eternal reward of bliss in heaven. Sometimes God allows such illness’ and pain to occur as a consequence of our sinful ways so we can look into our lives, repent and change our evil ways (not following God’s commands) so we can stop pushing away God’s love and walk on the path of life, joy, and peace. As a result, we won’t belong to Satan nor be doomed forever. Yet, for some these lessons of love from God are lost. People reject the cross, the lessons that are to be obtained from them, and they spend all of their time simply trying to survive in their pain riddled lives. Looking for peace without change. What a shame, when joy is waiting for them.
Some people view the imperfections of their spouses to be the cause of their problems. They feel that if they rid themselves of their cross—meaning their husband or wife—then their life will be all better. This simply isn’t the case. Perhaps there could be some temporary happiness (which is the kind Satan delivers as a lure), but the lessons from the cross are lost by not choosing to bear it with Christ. God’s grace is also lost by falling into sin (divorce), and then the path to Heaven is missed by not choosing to follow God’s command “Let no man separate what God has bound.” Through their hardened heart, abandonment of the cross and lack of trust (God takes all bad situations and makes them into good – through prayer and trust), God’s great plan, through that cross, won’t become reality.
The solution to everyone’s problems can be found by living God’s Holy Word, as opposed to trying to avoid suffering (the cross). We really need to look into what God says we should do, so that in all of life’s circumstances—even the ones that seem impossible—we choose to follow God’s will with faith and trust. God instructs us to carry our crosses, and to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. These words are not put forth just to be read, but to be lived, and through prayer and reconciliation it is indeed very possible to accomplish this. God has given us all the directions we need in life to bring us joy, through the teachings in the Bible—all we need to do is follow them. Yet, it is our unwillingness to suffer and trust in God that causes us to run from our crosses and rely on our own will instead of our Lord’s.
Sin has devastating repercussions in our lives and in the lives of others. Sin is the abolishment of love and therefore always causes hurt. Sadly, we still justify it over and over again. However, God can turn that evil into good if we simply let Him. All of the pain we endure—whether emotional or physical—can be seen as an opportunity to grow closer to God by uniting our sufferings with Christ’s sufferings on the cross, and learning whatever God is trying to teach us through them. Very few who suffer the pain of their crosses joyfully accept it as God’s will, with trust that they can learn and grow in holiness from each circumstance. Most suffer senselessly, trying to do all they can to ease the pain by attempting to remove their crosses, yet they find no real peace in doing so. So many people lead complaint-filled, disgruntled, peace-less, frustrated, angry lives; it doesn’t have to be that way. Embracing their crosses, through faith (trust), learning the lessons God is trying to teach and ridding their lives of sin are the only things that will truly extinguish their sufferings and deliver the life they crave—peace.
Educating God’s children about the beauty of the cross—since it is through the cross that one can find Christ—and about our Lord’s healing love, as well as showing them how to develop good prayer habits, will lead them to the solution of their problems. When someone has suffering after suffering, most of the time they are looking for an end to the suffering–looking for peace. However, through all suffering God is trying to teach us, help us grow closer to Him. Are we looking for the lesson or simply looking for a way to end the pain? Sometimes God allows immense suffering trying to teach His children He loves, but they still can’t see. Opportunity after opportunity to find true peace is lost. They still don’t change nor learn His blessed ways, and they continue to live life as they have been not gaining anything through the suffering. They had the chance to grow in such wisdom and knowledge through the suffering, but it was all in vain. The lessons on how to know, love and serve God more fully has been lost. However, through prayer and trust, knowing God allows all suffering out of great love for us, and by harvesting the graces of the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation, their whole life can change.
When we teach people how to look into themselves for improvement, through examining their conscience, and instruct them to develop great trust in God—knowing that He allows everything to happen out of love for us, to teach us and guide us closer to Him—it will deliver the life of joy and peace that everyone is searching for.
