Light Affliction

For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 2 Corinthians 4:17
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​Retirement from teaching has brought so many beautiful things to my days, the greatest being time with grandkids and the second thing that I have truly enjoyed is reading.  I went to the library for the first time in more than twenty years looking for books to read for fun.  Not books for an article I was writing, a class I was teaching or a talk I was preparing for but books simply for the pleasure of reading.  I forgot what it felt like to get lost in a book and turn page after page not worrying about papers to grade or lessons to plan and it’s been delightful.  I’ve been reading from a series of Christian fiction books that connect Scripture to real people and time periods and events.  One was literally the book of Tobit set in the California gold rush days.  Another series followed a group of Roman, Jewish and Greek characters living about thirty years after the death of Jesus.  It’s amazing how so many of the places and events from both the Old and New Testament come to life through these fictitious folks.  The story revolves around the characters who are new Christians and the ways they are working to tell the story and bring others to the love of Jesus.  Their courage and passion is inspiring and I often finish a chapter thinking I have so much discipleship to gain.
The people in the story live with a peace and a faith that blows my mind.  They face persecution and death with such joy knowing choosing to follow Jesus is everything.  Many times lately I’ve had the thought, sure I’m faithful when things are going well, but I often fall asleep wondering how my faith would look if I really faced hardship.  It doesn’t take me long to be honest and admit I probably wouldn’t be the towering pillar of strength and courage I might imagine I’d be.  The Lord is really using these stories to make me think and pray.  In the middle of these thoughts a few Sundays ago we heard the words from Paul to the Corinthians at Mass where he urged and encouraged the early Christians to bear up against their struggle and “light affliction”.  For the early Christians, light affliction included things like floggings, public humiliation, prison time, starvation, slavery or a trip to the arena with lions and other wild animals.  They referred to all of this as light and momentary because they longed for the Glory of God.  Their love of Jesus totally washed away their fear and they would be held in the dungeons below the arena for days or weeks waiting and all the while they were singing songs of praise and spreading the works of the Lord to every guard or prisoner they could.  I’m pretty sure I’d be curled up in a corner!
 
St. Paul also encouraged the Corinthians to live with a spirit of joy, peace and forgiveness in the midst of affliction.  I don’t know about you but if I’m being “afflicted” I’m usually trying to think about how to make it go away not about how to be joyful and forgiving.  St. Paul’s words are for us too, even today.  It’s probably a really good thing I wasn’t one of the first Christians; thank goodness God knew that and didn’t create me to live then.  It would be easy for me to think about all this and feel like a lousy disciple because I couldn’t do what they did or that my life today is such a piece of cake compared to theirs, but the truth is, God has a different plan for me.  I got stuck comparing afflictions and that never works out well.  I think I was missing the point!  God doesn’t love us more if our afflictions and struggles are bigger or harder.  We don’t “get a better seat” in heaven if we’ve slugged our way through a really messy life.  His love is the same…the reward is the same but it’s about  HOW we include him in our affliction and not HOW BIG the affliction is.  Scripture promises we will have trouble but what do we do with it when it comes? Let’s be honest, we never invite it or desire it, but it shows up…that’s life. Sometimes the trouble is gigantic and sometimes it’s a mole hill we turn into  a mountain.   Instead of growling at it or hiding from it or blaming 5 dozen people for it. we need to face it for what it is…a chance to trust, a chance to hope, a chance to grow and above all else…offering and inviting Jesus into our affliction is how we bring Glory to God and get to heaven.  One of the book characters again and again says, “Lord, whatever pleases you, allow me to be a part of it.”  I think my prayer would add, “Just drag me through it because you know what’s going on and what lies on the other side of this affliction that I’m trowin a fit about!” When one of the characters was sent into the arena with hungry lions, she said, “Lord, send the hungriest lion my way so I can call out your name and come home to you.”  Thank goodness there are no lions in my life so perhaps I’ll start with “Lord, send the ridiculous drivers, or the cranky person, or the car repair, or the broken washer, or the illness, or the squabbling kids, or the ungrateful boss so I can call out your name and use this affliction to grow closer to heaven.”
 
A Seed To Plant:  Make a list of your current afflictions and talk to the Father about how to include him in them.
 
Blessings on your day!