“To the woman He said, ‘I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labour you will give birth to children…” (Genesis 3:16).
Earlier this year – during lent – my mother invented a delicious recipe for prawn and vegetable fritters. This was born of her need to provide meals for people within the household who were abstaining from meat during lent when she was short on time and inspiration.
I was lucky enough to taste these delicious creations a few times during lent, and I decided that I would try making these delicious treats for my own family. After all – I reasoned to myself – if I found this delicious new recipe so delicious, so too would my children. I did not need to worry about whether my husband would eat the food that I made, because (God Bless Him) he always eats the food prepared without complaint.
And so, I set about making this delicious new meal for my family.
And there I stood – proud as punch – serving it for my children and waiting with breathless anticipation for their gratitude… The only problem was that they hated it. I tasted it and so did my husband and we both agreed that it was the most delicious meal we had eaten in a long time, but for the children it was simply awful. They did not like the texture, the consistency, or the taste.
Now, I am not one to give up. And – in the months since lent – I have made the same dish a few times. Each time that I have made it the complaints – while still audible – were fewer. The other day, I made this dish again, and this time, all of the children ate it without complaint. Mission accomplished – they have learned to eat another thing!
And I have been reflecting on those fritters and that experience of rejection by my children, because it reminds me of the ways that I so often reject necessary suffering.
When Eve (and then Adam) ate from the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, committing Original Sin and causing the fall of humankind, God GAVE us suffering…
Prior to the Fall, suffering was not a necessary way of sanctification. However, after the Fall, when God saw what Eve and Adam had done, God GAVE us suffering as a mechanism to atone for our sin…
“To the woman He said, ‘I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labour you will give birth to children…” (Genesis 3:16). “And To Adam He said, ‘…Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life…’” (Genesis 3:17).
And in reflecting on this, I do not see a great deal of difference between my continual shying away from suffering and sacrifice, and my children’s rejection of the fritters. You see, both the suffering and the fritters are very good for us. Just as the fritters are a healthy meal to build strength in my children’s bodies, suffering is a healthy mechanism to build strength in my soul.
And that causes me to think – right now when I am overwhelmed with feelings of ingratitude to my Beloved for the suffering that He sends me – maybe He is serving me a meal of fritters over and over again, so that I can get used to it, and start “eating” something new? After all, if I can get used to it, I might just be able to enjoy it. And if I can enjoy the suffering God sends me for love of ME, then I can truly learn to accept the Holy Will of God…
For through this suffering, I am blessed… For we lost paradise… And yet, my Beloved gives me a key to return – when I suffer as His Son Did, right here on my very own cross.
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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