2011…
On the way home from church one day, I was listening to ‘Insight for Living- by Chuck Swindoll’ on 98Five Sonshine FM. He was talking about suffering. He mentions that if we have not suffered we cannot empathise. If we have not lost a child or loved one, we can’t fully understand what its like. But if we have, we can reach out in love and grace and understanding to those who have. This begs the question that maybe suffering has a purpose, maybe it goes beyond the momentary pain and confusion. Maybe part of the growth is being able to move beyond the grief to reach out to others in their own journey.
For example, I can reach out to others who have lost a sibling because of that spectre that hangs over my life. The ache that never goes away no matter how many years seem to fade on the horizon. I consider what Mordecai the Jew says in the book of Esther, to the queen. “Perhaps it is for such a time as this…” And I think I agree with him. We cannot often see the end of our suffering, but there is a purpose to it. This, for me is a very good reason to keep ‘learning to fly’ no matter how many falls I have to take.
Lost Corner Orchard 