Wednesday, January 18, 2017

some uses for the hemlock in your life

Today, St. Basil talks about poisonous plants in A Year with the Church Fathers.

He tells us that all created things serve a purpose. I've often heard people wonder why God created mosquitoes. And I'm not sure I've ever heard a good reason. But St. Basil does give us a good reason for several different types of poisonous plants.

And that brings us to the take home lesson today. What do you find in YOUR life today that seems to have no good purpose? Is it a complaining coworker? A flat tire? Part of your body that hurts? There are many things in our lives that don't seem to be sent our way for fun. But that's part of life, isn't it?

I don't just mean "grin and bear it" or "suck it up". I mean that life brings us good things, and sometimes (more rarely, when you really think about it) it brings us things that we'd rather not have in our lives. But God works all of them for our good. Even the worst of the worst things... even when our loved ones get cancer. Even when we lose our jobs. Even when things seem their darkest. God can, will, and does work EVERYTHING for your good, as long as you keep seeking Him and asking Him to work in your life. He most certainly will.

And keep in mind that the joy we are looking forward to one day will make all of the pain we experience in this life seem like nothing.

God, thanks for the good plants and the bad. And help us to remember to ask You to work the bad ones for our good.