agony

When I have come through agonizing moments in my life, I have kept in mind that God knows about agony from personal experience, he was wrenched from his Son, in a most horrific way. Is there any pain more difficult than seeing your child suffer? Today, I experienced a small revelation; I have always viewed his agony as a one-time event.  Yet, we are all his children, which means our pains affect him too. His heart aches every bit as much as mine does. My revelation does not answer the ‘why’; for that, I must wait until I reach heaven.

            I am reminded of one of my husband’s favorite scriptures from 2 Corinthians 4: 7- 10: “For we have this treasure in jars of clay to show us that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard-pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our body.”

            There is no room for despair and destruction in the Christian life. In the midst of turmoil and chaos, we stand in the shadow of his grace and that is sufficient. I know that because he told me so. As my mortal flesh trembles in the face of current struggles, I seek the comfort of grace for myself and all who struggle.
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  1. harleyMarch 4, 2012 at 7:37 PM

    That's true. There is an aspect of a Christian
    Baptism that is also a "baptism into his death". So along with a fresh start, a clear conscience, and a willingness to become an imitator of Christ to the best of our ability, we also expect a death at a time of God's choosing, a "calling home" if you will. As 1 Corinthians 15:19 says it's a pitiful existence if our "hope in Christ" does not extend beyond the current life experience.

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