Pause for Thought:
Part of the Fabric of Life
Whether we like it or not, pain is part of the whole fabric of life. To escape suffering completely, we would have to live in some sort of sterilized and cushioned modules, with no risk of infection or accident. If there were no trouble, pain or difficulty in life, there would be no courage, patience, forgiveness or compassion either. We would never learn from our mistakes or grow through struggles and hard challenges. Goodness would just be the automatic response of puppet-people, because the freedom to choose good or evil would not be allowed. The more we try to imagine a painless and flawless world, the more impossible it becomes. Difficulty and suffering are an inescapable part of the mystery of being alive. This does not make suffering any easier to bear. We still protest and fight against pain when it comes our way. We also complain about how unfair it all seems. If someone who is known to be a Christian faces illness or any other kind of hardship, people often say, ‘Why did God let it happen to him if he’s a believer?’ we sometimes reduce God to a petty wonder worker who will intervene to protect his favourites from trouble. Some religious books come dangerously near to making God into a convenience, a Heavenly Rescue Service to be summoned when it suits us – as long as we have enough faith. This approach is a far cry from the call of Jesus to give our all, take up our cross and follow him. Discipleship can let us in for more suffering, not less.
From Heaven in Ordinary by Angela Ashwin
Part of the Fabric of Life
Whether we like it or not, pain is part of the whole fabric of life. To escape suffering completely, we would have to live in some sort of sterilized and cushioned modules, with no risk of infection or accident. If there were no trouble, pain or difficulty in life, there would be no courage, patience, forgiveness or compassion either. We would never learn from our mistakes or grow through struggles and hard challenges. Goodness would just be the automatic response of puppet-people, because the freedom to choose good or evil would not be allowed. The more we try to imagine a painless and flawless world, the more impossible it becomes. Difficulty and suffering are an inescapable part of the mystery of being alive. This does not make suffering any easier to bear. We still protest and fight against pain when it comes our way. We also complain about how unfair it all seems. If someone who is known to be a Christian faces illness or any other kind of hardship, people often say, ‘Why did God let it happen to him if he’s a believer?’ we sometimes reduce God to a petty wonder worker who will intervene to protect his favourites from trouble. Some religious books come dangerously near to making God into a convenience, a Heavenly Rescue Service to be summoned when it suits us – as long as we have enough faith. This approach is a far cry from the call of Jesus to give our all, take up our cross and follow him. Discipleship can let us in for more suffering, not less.From Heaven in Ordinary by Angela Ashwin
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