A Willingness to Suffer

Good Morning Church - another cold but beautiful Saturday morning of the last weekend of the Church year. Tomorrow we begin a new year with the First Sunday of Advent and thus will begin another journey through the life of the Master, Jesus Christ. 

This morning I am left pondering the life of Christ that is characterized by suffering. I recently ran across a quote from Lewis Presnall who said, "love requires a willingness to suffer and be inconvenienced." This led me to a deeper reflection on Christ's love for the Church which we are invited to embody.

If we are to truly live Christ-like then we are invited to see that in our love for others there will necessarily be moments in which we suffer and are ultimately inconvenienced. You will probably enjoy that reality as much as I do. It is far from easy to accept but it is the Christian response to suffering.

The act of loving another broadens our understanding of the human condition and often pinches our egos. Indeed, one of the greatest gifts, though not necessarily cherished, which is granted through loving another, is that we gain humility and thus healthier, smaller egos.

How often do we say the words, "I love you," and yet resent being detained by our loved ones? How frequently do we expect to get our own way when resolving a conflict? Is the silent treatment a manipulative ploy we commonly rely on when problem solving with a spouse or lover?

Love wears many faces and it means not always getting our own way, or never doubting the other's sincerity. We aren't guaranteed happiness forever after, even when we know we're loved. But what giving and receiving love does promise us is growth, periods of peacefulness, some poignantly painful times, and many chances to demonstrate that another's well being is a priority, which in turn assures us of our own well being.