Suffering With Joy

Seek Ye Therefore First the Kingdom of God…

August 30, 2010

Last week I wrote no posts due to many factors including sheer exhaustion. Today is the beginning of a new week and, I hope, one where I can get some of the things I put off accomplished.

Last Monday started off with a wasp sting which happened during my asparagus bean daily harvest.  It wasn’t bad and the pain went away quickly when I applied a homeopathic remedy I keep in the medicine chest. The sting reminded me of what every sin does to the soul, and how God’s grace takes away the pain and swelling affecting nearby areas. A single sin is like a wasp sting.  It only takes a minute but it causes trouble in the soul beyond the small entry wound.

Many stings make for a very bumpy and sick soul. The habit of many small sins eventually will kill the soul unless we submit to God’s remedy of repentance and forgiveness. Getting stung made me resolve to be more vigilant in my spiritual life and to avoid situations where I might get stung so that I will have a smooth, clean soul to present to the Father. There’s no avoiding the asparagus beans, though.  Every stinging insect in the area loves them for the nectar from the flowers, but they usually leave me alone. God just wanted to teach me a lesson Monday morning about how sin hurts us, and somebody at that moment needed grace from the discomfort I offered to Him.

Last Tuesday I went to get my teeth cleaned and learned that my bottom front teeth need to be capped, at an exorbitant price I might add.  My husband called the Kansas City Dental College and we made a day trip there on Thursday for a second opinion.  It turns out that if I don’t replace the 32 year old caps on the top and let them re-engineer my bite, capping the bottom two won’t last. So for more than double the cost of two caps, I’ll get six caps and a fix that will last the rest of my life.  We will scramble to find the money somehow and we will have to make several more all-day trips to get it done over the next three months.  The quality and workmanship will be superb, but I wish I didn’t need it done.

On the way home Thursday, warning lights showed up on the dashboard.  Great.  It turns out something is wrong in the brake system and the fix will be around $900. Is it safe to get out of bed yet?  I want to hide under the covers.

Along came the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost and Jesus had the right words for me in the Gospel of Matthew.  In an exhausting and disappointing week, He gave me the reminder to trust in the Father and not to stress out, even though I am so tired of being so tired and so tired of big bills lately:  Mt. 6: 25-27 and 32-34:

Therefore I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on.  Is not the life a greater thing than the food, and the body than the clothing? Behold the birds of the air: they do not sow, nor reap, or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are not you of much more value than they? But which of you by being anxious about it can add to his stature a single cubit?

…for your Father knows that you need all these things.   But seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.

These words renewed my spirit and could not have been more timely. My desire for the rest of my life is to detach from the world and trust in God while suffering with joy. Have you noticed that whenever you ask God to help you acquire a virtue He sets up ways to give you plenty of practice?

V. Praised be Jesus Christ.*

R. Now and forever.  Amen.

*click on the link to read why I’m ending all my posts with this.

Tags: health, trust in God

6 Comments to Seek Ye Therefore First the Kingdom of God…

1. 

   What a wreck of a week! Just the tone of this post will bless many, Barb. And for others it may be a timely reminder.
Lynn Baber on August 30th, 2010
2. 

   Thanks, Lynn. I’m doing my best to live God’s will, but it sure is hard sometimes. But if we didn’t have adversity how would we practice trust in God?
barb on August 30th, 2010
3. 

   Wow, I am so sorry about the week you had! Praying that God will give you the funds you need for your dental work and vehicle!

   Your analogy of the sting and our souls and God’s grace is beautiful!
Carol@simple_catholic on September 5th, 2010
4. 

   Right on target! I know what you mean. As I’m between jobs, I have to keep Christ’s words in mind.

   By the way, what sort of homeopathic remedy do you use for stings? I’ve never found anything that works well.

   Evan
Evan on September 5th, 2010
5. 

   Evan, I got it at the local drug store. The bottle says “Dadeco” and “Homeopathic Tick, chigger, mosquito drops” with active ingredients of ledum palustre MT, Eucalyptus globulus MT and 65% alcohol. I’ve never heard of this stuff before, but it works great. The directions include wasp stings and other insect bites (stings).

   I’m praying for my sister to get a job and I’ll pray for you, too. Count on the Lord to be lining up the right thing for you even if it takes awhile.
barb on September 5th, 2010
6. 

   Barb,
   Thanks a bunch (both for the information on the sting remedy and prayers for my employment). I realize it may take a while before something opens up, but my problems is not having much patience in that department! Perhaps the Lord is trying to work on me/shape me in the meanwhile. “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way…” as the old hymn goes.
   Evan
Evan on September 5th, 2010