Still Need God?

Do not run away from poverty or sorrows;
Such things lift our prayer to heaven.

Evagrios of Pontus

We can control neither poverty or sorrow but they come our way with regularity. It is simply a way of life. The world says, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” The Bible says, “Trials proof us, purify us and prepare us for greater life.”

If one accepts the poverty that they cannot control or chooses poverty so that resources that could be theirs are used for others, are they poor? Was Mother Theresa poor? Was St. Vincent DePaul poor? Is the missionary you don’t know in a world far away poor?

The Bible is clear, “Those in sorrow will be comforted.” Trials and testing, even when the result of our own choice, cause us to not only depend on the Father but to cry out to Him. It is the one who is full who is tempted to not depend and pray with fervor for support.

Spiritual leadership is tough. Do not run from it but embrace it and then poverty will no longer be poverty and sorrow will turn to joy as you seek His comfort. Choose, rather than suffer unwittingly, the trials of leadership – whether in the home, the Church or the workplace. When we choose them, they are no longer trials but they become an expected roadway upon which we are proved and others travel to safety and success.

Jesus laid down his life that we might truly live. Was death death when He chose it?