FINDING JOY IN OUR SUFFERING

FINDING JOY IN OUR SUFFERING
SUFFERING is never fun=
Is never easy=and
I would BET
Most of you would tell me
I am crazy=
If I tell  you
We CAN FIND JOY
In our suffering
Only by UNITING
Our suffering with CHRIST'S suffering
For the sake of others-can
WE do so
But Saint Paul tells us
That is so
Saint Paul ENCOURAGES me/us
"Now I REJOICE
In what I am SUFFERING
For you
And I fill up
In my flesh
What is STILL lacking
In regard to
Christ's afflictions........"                                                                                                      Colossians 1:24
Saint Paul has
MATURED spiritually
To the point
Where he FINDS JOY
In his hardship
And his suffering
That is what
We HAVE to do too
Saint Paul ENDURES suffering
For the community=his community
OF CHRIST'S PEOPLE
We can only do this
By making God=OUR PRIORITY
FINDING JOY in our suffering
And maybe some day
We will SEE the glory
That Christ felt
That Saint Paul felt=
That the apostles felt
"But those who SUFFER
He delivers
In their SUFFERING
He speaks to them
In their affliction"                                                                                                                   Job 36:15
"Not only so
But we also glory
In our SUFFERINGS
Because we know
That SUFFERING produces perseverance           
Perseverance-character
Character-hope
And HOPE does not put
To shame......."                                                                                                                      Romans 5:3-5
Our suffering produces hope
And hope PRODUCES JOY in us
When we UNITE our sufferings
With Christ's
When we make GOD=
OUR PRIORITY=when we
Make God NUMBER ONE
In our life
Abraham and Sarah found this out
When Sarah PRODUCED a baby
At such a late age
Martha found this out
When she saw how MARY
UNITED with Christ
And HIS WORD
We need to UNITE
Our suffering with Christ's
In order
To FIND JOY in them
"How good and how pleasant
It is
When God's people
Live together in UNITY"                                                                                                  Psalm 133:1
I hope and PRAY
That you are
NOT SUFFERING
But I also pray
That if you are
You are FINDING JOY in it
Like Jesus=like Saint Paul=
And the apostles
And like myself
FINDING JOY IN OUR SUFFERING!
In Jesus'  name
Robert P. Wallman
7-19-19

Ps         INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Fr. Martin Pable, O.F.M. Cap.