I went to a meeting on the Haitian rescue efforts last night at UVU, put on by local Haitians. I felt helpless to know what to do, and frankly, so did they. Today on Oprah she announced that even donating $10 to the Red Cross can help. I've thought a lot about the suffering that we all go through in life, some much more than others, and I've come to one simple conclusion (still with so many questions):
We either allow suffering to refine and define us,
or confine and undermine us.
It’s our choice.
The words came to me out of the blue yesterday and I keep thinking about what they mean for me. Plus, it works for me because it rhymes. There are so many in pain. There are so many in this world who are enslaved, cold, hungry, ignored, or in the case of the earthquake in Haiti, crushed spiritually or physically.
But I know this, at all times our challenges give us the opportunity to fall to our knees, to define ourselves by our hope and faith in Father's wisdom and mercy. They also give us the opportunity to turn inward, to let our hearts harden in bitterness, resentment, and the inability to hope that, even for an instant, there is a grander design. As always, it inevitably comes back to love. Perhaps in this case it is the love that Father has for us at all times and in all places, no matter what is going on in our lives. I believe he wants us to be refined and defined by our faith, our hope, and the charity we have for those around us--and for ourselves.
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