Most grievous mistakes of
my life by word and deed have been when I have had a wavering mind.
This has helped me
understand that the essential ingredient for failure is a wavering
mind. This is the very thing that the devil wants in our spiritual life,
to be ever distracted and ever wandering. The moment we take our eyes away
from the cross and look to the world we get distracted and start drifting,
Satan has gotten his way. Word of God say’s "Do
not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is
not in those who love the world; for all that is in the world—the desire of the
flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from the Father
but from the world. And the world and its desire are passing away, but
those who do the will of God live forever 1 john 2:15-17.
The action of taking our
eyes away from the cross is instigated by the devil by a set few
ways. First and the most encountered is temptation, the second is
hardships, third is by busyness. Saint John of the Cross in his book the
"spiritual canticle" said that "Every soul should know that even
though God does not answer its prayer immediately, he will not on that account
fail to answer it at the opportune time if it does not become discouraged and
give up its prayer."
Giving up and just
existing in life or get led by the concepts of the world and not living life
according to how the Word of God leads us, is the perfect recipe for disaster.
Jesus lays emphasis on persistence in prayer in the parable of the Unjust
Judge. He asks us not to lose heart in prayer and to keep asking. He
concludes with an interesting question "And
yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? Luke 18:1-8 Thus it finally boils down to one
aspect of our spiritual lives "Faith". Saint Paul in his letter to
the Hebrews says "without
faith it is impossible to please God," and Jesus Christ is the perfecter of
our faith. In the letter of James he says My brothers and sisters,
whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you
know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
Jesus said "He
who endures to the end will be saved Matthew 24:13". Jesus true to his words shows us to be the epitome of endurance
on the cross where Jesus dies in the most excruciating manner possible because
of the wounds and loss of all blood in his holy body. I am stupefied by this
statement that Jesus says that if he asks his father, his father will send 12
legions of angels for his rescue but he still does not. We who are prone to
abuse of power in small or big ways find it difficult to understand how someone
with so much of power will not use it and endure the pain to his end. All this
was done so that the will of the Father may be accomplished thereby he is
exalted above all names. Now he stands as the only way to the Father for Jesus
said I am the way the truth and the life. Single injection or a slight
pain in any part of the body suffices or just the plain sight of blood to bring
out a cry asking for help but yet the lamb did not use his power.
The creator chose to be silent. All this is out of LOVE. Silent
endurance. How can we improve this “endurance” in our lives? Is this the
ingredient that is missing in our spiritual walk? God wants us to endure. By
accepting our share of the small crosses that the good Lord sends our way with
joy for Christ tells us “take up your cross and follow me” but is that the only
way to get endurance in our spiritual lives.
Yes the word of God teaches us to not just simply accept our
sufferings “but we also boast
in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance
produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint
us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit
that has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right
time Christ died for the ungodly” Romans
5:3-6. As we grow in our endurance Jesus promises to strengthen us. Humble yourselves therefore under
the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your
anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves; keep alert.
Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone
to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers
and sisters throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.
And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has
called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support,
strengthen, and establish you. 1 peter 5:6-10
