To Suffer is to be Blessed

Earlier this year, I was besieged with all sorts of physical and mental maladies. I was getting short of breath. I was aching in many different places. Worse, all my physical symptoms were also causing me to have anxiety. I guess I can’t expect to frequent KFC and McDonalds and not pay for it.

I always try to pray consistently but when I experienced all all those things, I prayed like there was no tomorrow! I lifted my prayers of petition, sang and danced in worship, prayed the rosary, and even learned to pray the chaplet of the Divine Mercy.

Do you remember the parable of the unjust judge and the persistent widow? Well I was the modern day version of that. I was relentless in my prayer!

As I expected from a God who is generous in unfathomable ways, he answered my prayers!

Finally, life was good. As with the Lego Movie, everything was awesome.

However, I noticed something. It was harder for me to be more consistent with my prayers when things were going well for me. When everything was good, it seemed like it was easier to watch just one more episode of The Green Arrow than to read scriptures or learn about my faith. I had to exert more effort to remain close to God when thing were going my way.

I then started thinking about the lives of the saints. Most of them had experienced suffering in one way or another. I wondered if God allowed his beloved saints to suffer as a way to draw them closer to him.

To say it it another way, I wondered if by allowing suffering, the Lord was actually blessing his saints.

I know, I know. This sounds mind boggling. But think about it. Why are we here on earth? What is the purpose of our existence? I believe we are here to glorify God and to prepare ourselves for heaven.

Our years here on earth is such a short blip compared to the eternity that we will spend in heaven. Our lives on earth is like the first chapter of a Trillion-chapter book.

If we looked at things this way, then maybe it wouldn’t matter much that our lives aren’t as comfortable as we would like if, afterwards, we get to bask in an eternity of boundless joy.

If suffering somehow draws us closer to God, and if by being drawn closer to God we are drawn closer to heaven, can’t we therefore conclude that by allowing us to suffer, the Lord is actually blessing us?

Finally, if the Lord is blessing us by allowing us to suffer, shouldn’t we thank him for it?