This is the Way It Is

Patricia

Returning from Mass one day, a Mass in which I prayed for relief from the suffering of our country, the world and yes, my own, the thought arose, “Don’t waste this opportunity”. It is difficult to explain the power of those simple words, but if you have experienced something similar you will know the experience. They said to me: 'Don't waste this hard time! This is something difficult you can offer to God through acceptance and surrender!' 

Everything God sends in our life with him is for our good, to help us in our transformation into Christ. And God is always closer than our own breath, in bad times and good. Even the bad times are not separate from God and are always sent to teach and help. On my way home the sensations of unhappiness remained but now there was a certain distance, a little space. The thoughts and feelings still continued but what ended was the struggle to stop it. It was clear to me then, that this is just a part of what it is to be a human being facing difficulties – “This is the way it is”. Pain is part of life, it will always be with us while we are on this earth; suffering, however, is what we add to it in our attempt to stop it or make sense of it.