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When life knocks us down and we don’t get the answers we want to our prayers, we may question God’s love for us. Maybe you’ve asked Him questions like, “Why did You let her break up with me?” or “Why did You let me get fired?” God might answer, “She didn’t love you. I want you to be happy, and you wouldn’t have been happy with her” and “I let you get fired so you could find more satisfying work that better utilizes your talents.”
Heartache, fear, and anguish are natural and normal human feelings and may drag us into dark places. We may feel abandoned by God and wonder why He let this happen.
God doesn’t promise we won’t have pain; He promises to be with us during our pain. Christ relates to our suffering because He also experienced deep anguish during His passion and crucifixion. He begged the Father to ‘take this cup away from me’ and yet added, ‘not my will, but Yours be done.’ The Father knew, and Jesus knew, that He had to die first in order to attain the joy of victory – His resurrection.
Asking, and trusting, Christ to carry our cross with us helps take some of our pain away. Prayer helps us remember that He loves us and wants what’s best for us; that He sees things we can’t see and knows things we can’t know; that He wants us to be happy; that He can make good come of any situation; and that He will never leave us alone.
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia used to talk about a contest he was asked to judge, a contest to find the most caring child. The winner was a four-year-old boy. The boy’s next-door neighbor was an elderly gentleman whose wife had recently passed away. When the boy noticed the man out in his yard crying, he went over to the man, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he’d said to the neighbor, the little boy replied, "Nothing. I just helped him cry."
Christ may not change our situation, but He shows us His compassion through a friend’s loving actions and supportive words. He reminds us of His love when we read Scripture. He gives us new insight and encouragement through a homily. He’s also given us tools to help ourselves relieve stress through activities we enjoy like taking in the beauty of nature, listening to music, getting some exercise, or doing yoga stretches.
Suffering is part of life, and Christ never meant for us to suffer alone. In the midst of our pain, we trust Him to stay with us and help us carry our cross.
“Oh, Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.” – Psalm 102:2
Open my eyes, that I may see You. Open my ears, that I may hear You. Open my heart, that I may love You in the people around me.
Thank you for reading my reflection. All thanks to God for giving me the ideas and guiding my words! © 2025 Gina Bedell
Through these reflections, I invite you, the reader, to reflect on a given topic and then seek deeper answers through prayer, additional spiritual reading, and/or consultation with clergy or other qualified persons in order to grow in your faith and understanding of God’s love and will for your life.
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P.S.
Pray for peace at home and around the world. Donate to a cause that tugs at your heart. Take care of those around you; take care of our planet. Pray for the people around the globe whose lives have been torn apart by war and natural disasters.
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