When our lives are under pressure it can feel like we have been abandoned by God. St. John of the Cross calls this the “dark night of the soul.”
I have been asked many times by parishioners, by neighbors, even by strangers on airplanes: How can I avoid this dark night? It is not always worded that way. Most folks do not quote St. John of the Cross, but most of us experience times of testing, times of trial, times of pressure.
When life gets hard, temptation may come along with a siren call inviting us to forget the tough path and just give in to whatever will make our lives easier. If you’ve experienced this you know that can lead to disastrous choices.
A great source of help is the letter of James in the New Testament. He is writing to a collection of imperfect people inside the church. These are people just like us. Oh sure, the world has changed in a thousand different ways but people are still people. James is writing on things that need to be dealt with by these folks and I dare say us, too.
Right at the beginning we get some practical advice, “Consider it a gift friends, when tests and challenges come at you…under pressure your faith-life is forced open and shows its true colors.”
How do you respond to a challenge? Do you see the challenge as an opportunity to experience something new or as a chance to fail? When challenges to your faith come along do they inspire or infuriate?
Life under pressure produces a true picture of the kind of faith we have in the first place. James sees these moments as great opportunities for us to grow. If our faith is weak, the pressure that comes creates the possibility for renewed and strengthened faith.
“Consider it a gift,” writes James. Is there a tough problem before you right now? Don’t avoid it. Don’t run away from it. Take it on, move forward in faith and let God’s grace guide you as do. I won’t promise that it’s easy but I believe that God will bless you in the effort.
Grace and peace to you,
-Glen
