Suffering in metanoia

Trials are a part of life. And it is good to accept trials as an opportunity to suffer and prove one's love for Christ. Jesus did say, unless you take up your cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. The only danger comes from making that passivity the only response to troubles. Such an attitude will keep us from learning from our trials.

Each conflict has a lesson to teach us. Sometimes that lesson is: suffer for love of Christ. But there are times when that conflict reveals something about ourselves, something we need to address, change, or remedy. If we look at suffering, conflict, difficulties as just something else to offer up, we will miss the opportunities they offer for change. We need to remember that because we have never "arrived" we should keep our attitude of the necessity of conversion.

Life is a journey, meaning, life brings with it new occasions for renewal, conversion, adaptation, insight. Each struggle we deal with should be plumbed to its very depths to find out what is God's message to us? Is he telling us to move on? Or does he expect a resonse from this experience? Do we need to step up to the plate and stand strong? Or do we need to step back and give someone else some space?

These and similar questions require us to approach our experiences with reflection, discernment and prayer. We can do this only if we remember that conversion, metanoia, is a life long process, one always in season, one always helping us discern our journey.