Building on our reflections from yesterday, a pilgrim seeking personal and spiritual growth should not primarily rely on acquiring knowledge through taking courses. Instead, the most effective and direct way is to humbly accept the various trials and tribulations that God allows in our lives and seize opportunities to learn from them. In particular, we should learn from the words and deeds of Jesus, His role model, and His relationship with the Father, learning to let go of ourselves and place greater trust in God. This is the shortcut to virtues and holiness. It is far more effective than any self-improvement program offered in the secular world.

Our Heavenly Father wants us to face life’s challenges with courage. When we stumble and fall on our journey, His gaze never leaves us; rather, He helps us silently along the way.

It is much like how parents do not interfere with their children’s struggles in life but instead give them space to overcome difficulties, allowing them to take pride in the achievements they have worked hard to attain.

If you are a parent, you may more easily understand and empathize with the anguish of seeing your child go through hardship or suffering. Parents know that such experiences are necessary for their children’s growth, and for their long-term benefit, they must not take away these valuable learning opportunities.

If earthly parents feel such deep pain when their children suffer, imagine the piercing sorrow that our Heavenly Father must endure!

Yet, the Father willingly bears this pain because His love for us is unconditional. At the same time, He will never allow anything beyond our ability to bear to happen to us.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 10, verse 13, St. Paul says,

“No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

You may wonder: God is almighty and above all things. How could He possibly understand human weakness and needs?

If Jesus Christ had not become man, this argument might hold. However, Christ, in His humanity, experienced the most difficult trials and sufferings. Therefore, more than anyone else, He understands our struggles, feelings, limitations, and needs. We can be assured that when we, like St. Peter, begin to sink into the water (cf. Matthew 14:30), Jesus will not hesitate to reach out and pull us up.

If He was willing to die on the cross to redeem us and bear our sins, would He not be even more willing to carry our burdens?

If there is one “attraction” that is a must-see on our earthly pilgrimage, it must be the scene of being pulled out of the water by the Lord during the thrilling adventure of “walking on water”!

Reflection

Can you, through observing the relationship between earthly parents and children, come to understand the agony that the Heavenly Father endures when He sees us face difficulties and pain? And while pouring out your heart to our Heavenly Father, are you also willing to listen to His voice?

Have you ever experienced God helping you directly or indirectly when you fell or sank into the water? Please revisit that experience, and let it affirm that the Heavenly Father’s love for you is real and certain.

Our relationship with the Heavenly Father is a reflection of the relationship between the Son and the Heavenly Father. Can you draw some inspiration from the Son’s example of trusting and obeying the Father?

Today’s Prayer

My beloved Abba Father, I am sorry… I am sorry… When I went through trials, I always thought that I was the most miserable, the most helpless and the most misunderstood. Yet I failed to realize that, for my sake, You were the one who experienced the greatest pain, the deepest helplessness, and the most profound misunderstanding!

Today, I understand that if it were possible, You would rather be the one who suffers. In fact, for my sake, You truly endured the greatest pain in the form of Your Son! Once I saw this truth clearly, I fully understood that the suffering I must endure is an essential stage in my growth. It is a necessary part of my earthly pilgrimage.

Please forgive me for my past ignorance and for all the misunderstandings I have held about You, which have aggravated the grievances and sufferings You have already endured because of me.

Father! I truly do not wish to hurt You any further! Please help me to strengthen my trust in You, and enable me to follow the example of Jesus in loving and obeying You.

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Writer: Paul Yeung
Project Manager: Michael Lam, Rosa Tse
Editors: Bonny Chan, Rosa Tse
English Editors: Bonny Chan, Paul Yeung
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Cantonese Narrator: Margaret Woo
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