CJ's World

Sorrow and suffering are a big part of this life and cannot be avoided. If we say this ought not to be so, shall we also say, “God has made a mistake in allowing them”?

Personally, I’d like to avoid any more sorrow. However, I read: Suffering either leads to a better self, or it destroys. I pause and ponder.

There are alternatives, such as, bettering your self by success, leading to becoming a self-centered egotistic. Or you can find your self in monotony, resulting in grumbling and complaining.

Never give up hope. After you have found your self in the fires of sorrow, you will find and identify with others who have been through the fires of sorrow, knowing intuitively you can go to them when troubled and they will understand.

And, you have the ability to identify those who haven’t been through the fires of sorrow. They are condescending, self-absorbed, no time or patience for understanding anybody or anything.

“If you receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.” As I ponder this, having lived through more than my share of sorrows, I would like to believe in its truthfulness.

My Utmost for His Highest, July 25 (Oswald Chambers, 1935)