"You must submit to supreme suffering in order to discover the completion of joy."
-John Calvin
It has been said that he who increases wisdom increases sorrow. It has also been said that a man well-versed in suffering is a man clothed in great wisdom. Bottom line: this world will bring you pains that no amount of preparation can soften and no amount of pity can expedite the healing thereof. No man is exempt. Christ did not die so that those who believe in him could achieve immunity to pain. Salvation makes us no more impervious to the trials of this world than it makes us purple and ten feet tall. We are not called to be giants. We are called to drop our nets and follow Christ. We are called to drop our worldly aspirations and submit. We are called to suffer and trust that the fortification of our hearts and minds through the Holy Spirit will allow us to endure. No one said it would be easy.
I like all three: the whale in the clouds, your words, and the song.
ReplyDeleteI feel like commenting somehow cheapens what you've said... sorry
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