Why Me?

Photo by Peter Steiner 🇨🇭 1973 on Unsplash

It's not a bad question...but maybe it's the wrong question. It's an understandable question too - perhaps something in your life right now is causing you (or will very soon cause you) great pain. Perhaps too, you are already suffering something else so this on top of that seems to be just too much. In these cases I invite you to consider two things: 1) Consider the question, "Am I willing to suffer?" instead of, "Why should I suffer?". There's a big difference between these questions. "Am I willing to suffer?" allows you to accept an invitation to share in Jesus' Passion, especially when your suffering is coming from something unjust. After all, Jesus was completely innocent and yet suffered the greatest torments and fate - and He did them willingly - making it all an Act of Love. The questions "Why Me?" or "Why should I suffer?" resemble more the Israelites in the desert instead of Jesus. "We must not put the Lord to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents; nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer." - 1 Corinthians 10-11. For some context, here is an example of what the Israelites said to Moses: "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?" - Exodus 17:3. Here there is doubt that God will provide for His people. He saved them and yet they are convinced they will perish. Today, Jesus has already come and saved us, and yet when we are invited to suffer, we believe it is the end of all goodness or that it's too unfair to have to deal with. 2) Consider what a parent might do if their child comes to them with a splinter or wanting to learn to ride a two-wheel bike. We all known the splinter must come out for proper healing. But won't the child protest? This is because the child doesn't have the Wisdom that the caregiver has. Yes, it will be more painful now, but it will fully heal and be new later. Won't the child fall down and get hurt while learning to ride the bike? Yes, but they will have freedom later when they've acquired the skill. And so it is with us - we must trust in God's Providence and be willing to suffer. May God bless us with trusting and willing hearts. Godspeed in all you do, everyone who stops by here!