Everyone loves a Cinderella story. The lowly servant girl becomes the princess. The teenage nerd becomes the handsome, rugged man. The team that loses for years becomes the champion. We take heart in victory after years of suffering. How sweet it is!
This is the essence of hope and of our life in Christ. With the cross comes certain resurrection. We may be downtrodden worms now (Is 41:14), but Jesus will change us into sharp, new instruments of His kingdom (Is 41:15). We may be in the pit now (Gn 37:24), but the Lord will sovereignly transform that pit into power in His time (Ps 105:21). A relationship in absolute shambles can be gloriously transformed into a shining "new creation" (2 Cor 5:17).
God does this kind of thing all the time. He makes a way where we see no possible way. "For God all things are possible" (Mt 19:26). The only way for us to miss out on this glorious deliverance is to quit in despair and abandon our position. We can freely decide that the current sufferings are too much for us. Cinderella skips the ball to avoid humiliation. The nerd gives in to despair. The losing team disbands in frustration.
Never forget the power of the Lord. "Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing. Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, they shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves" (Ps 126:5-6). The Lord changes mourning into dancing (Ps 30:12), gives freedom to those in bondage (Is 61:1), and redeems our lives from destruction (Ps 103:4). How sweet He is!
| PRAYER: | Father, "I consider the sufferings of the present to be as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed in us" (Rm 8:18). |
| PROMISE: | "The gift you have received, give as a gift." –Mt 10:8 |
| PRAISE: | St. Benedict started a whole new way of life, the Christian monastic vocation. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College