Sufferings foreshadow God’s blessings

[Mary Naeem]

Sufferings foreshadow God’s blessings

A Christian has his cross, his sufferings, that will be laid upon him by the Lord. Bear, though, in mind, that these aren’t plain sufferings that simply fall upon him and burden him. They foreshadow God’ s blessings. They are the vehicles through which God’s blessings will come.

Whoever takes things this way will bear his bur- dens joyfully no matter how heavy handed or insuf- ferable. When man doesn’t take things this way, his life is thankless, tough and intolerable. When the Lord lays upon us hardship and misfortune and we trustfully and hopefully take them in our stride, they are lighter to bear.

What man should try to do is prepare himself to receive the grace the Lord gives. Leave yourself in the hands of God and let God “walk” you on the path of preparation.

Archimandrite Symeon Kragiopoulos (†)

From the book: Archimandrite Symeon Kragiopoulos, “SPIRITUAL MESSAGES” Panorama Thessaloniki, 2017