As It Happens: A Life Of Suffering (7)

Romans 8:38-39 – For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Christianity is one of the strangest religions in the world because it is based on rock-solid reality and on life as it is. Christianity, at its best, refuses the convenient way out, of "pie-in- the-sky-when-we-die" and would have us down in the mud with a God made flesh and a passion to be with people suffering all the problems that plague the planet.

And what happens in such a religion with such an emphasis?

A cross can become a crown,
death can become the gate of new life,
reaching rock bottom can become the incentive for finally looking up

I think we've come to the point where I can summarize what has been said. "To believe in providence is not to believe that everything turns out well or that everything is occurring according to the divine plan. Rather, faith in providence is an awareness that nothing and no one can prevent us can prevent us from fulfilling the meaning and purpose of our lives, namely, to live in an ever-deepening and loving relationship to God." (Westerhoff).

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." In fact if we die a death like his, we will be able claim a crown won from the suffering of the soul.

Prayer: Help us make our only boast in life that of knowing Jesus Christ and the power of his life and love. Amen.

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