Results tagged “Trials”

The great masters of prayer have compared the spiritual life to an ocean. On the surface life may be roiled by wind and tides. Yet beneath the surface, even amid a stormy sea, the water is calm. Deep contentment and inner peace are anchored in these depths - the truth behind, "Be still, and know that I am God." »more

After the masses abandon Jesus because of his "hard" teaching, Jesus turns to his twelve disciples and offers one of the most touching, heartbreaking, and haunting questions of his life: "Do you also wish to go away?" What do you do when Jesus' teaching is hard to understand? Can you love the God you don't understand? »more

One natural reaction to the rising waters and crashing waves of affliction is fear. When storms suddenly arise in our lives, we all too quickly assume, like the disciples, that God must not care for us. If God did, we assume, there wouldn't be a storm in the first place. We cry out to God, "Don't you care?" We forget who is in the boat with us. »more

Not every unpleasant or difficult experience is a sign of God's displeasure. On the contrary, sometimes our most painful feelings and distressing circumstances are the very means through which God deeply transforms us. »more