We've all heard that suffering is a part of life, but it's the last thing we ever want to hear as advice to us! We live in a world that genuinely desires to alleviate suffering at all costs. Entertainment is perhaps the greatest indicator of this.
At one point in time, entertainment was a "once in a while" sort of activity. Now it is constant. In an age where everything is ultimately portable to one's smartphone, entertainment is now less than an arm's length away. If at any time one feels the pangs of suffering, or the slightest discomfort of soul, entertainment will whisk it away, be it a game, a Facebook post, a movie clip, or whatever is at hand.
Today's readings tell us the value of suffering. But suffering is really a bit of a strong word here. CONFRONTATION is really more appropriate. Opposition confronts the reports to Moses. Jesus confronts the woman with the fact that she is culturally insignificant. Yet the confrontation is itself an opportunity. For Moses, the confrontation results in a vision of the world that allows for the possibility that God really is bigger than our greatest fears. For the woman, the confrontation moves her to quick thinking, not out of a clever mind, but out the real need borne of true faith.
Confrontation and suffering are opportunities in our lives. They are opportunities for us to change our vision, to grow in our faith in a loving God, to know that ultimately, we are loved by God in a universe that resounds with God's love.
We are challenged to open our eyes to the truth around us, that our growth is God's ultimate desire for us: to grow more and more in the image of his Son. Then we can say with the psalmist today that God does indeed favor his people!
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