Sunday’s Food for Thought : Going through Tough Times
We all go through tough times.
Unimaginably difficult life challenges. Sufferings. Difficulties that no one else would seem to ever understand.
And the reality is, each of us would go through such situations, regardless of our academic accomplishments, work achievements, beliefs and religion, or material possessions.
And recently I was reminded again of this statement:
what makes a person more mature in the eyes of God is not the actual suffering itself, but the person’s RESPONSE towards and during the challenging situation.
[as shared by Rev. Billy Kristanto on one Sunday service]
I can still vividly remember how Rev. Amin Tjung (who battled cancer for about 6 years, and passed away 2 years ago) still smiled, greeted, listened, and encouraged others.
Though he was in total pain in the final hours, he chose to remain silent and even when he spoke, he didn’t utter any words of complaints.
I know he totally got his strength and courage from God alone. He remained faithful and strong till the very end.
But even after ‘knowing that’, I’m still totally amazed at how he really managed to have such an attitude and response towards his physical suffering.
Many of us, including me, would’ve easily complained when we go through even the slightest discomfort.
We would most likely ‘concentrate’ on OUR OWN problems and not care nor think about other people’s need and situations.
So my thought on this is, I guess in the end it’s about :
… knowing what we should do in times of difficulty
… applying what we know
… and most importantly, keeping our faith, trust and hope to the right Source
May God, the Redeemer and Source of Life, give us all the strength and perseverance we need to go through life’s challenges.
However big. And however small.
