Through Sorrow and Suffering

One of my favorite books is Hinds' Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard.  It is an allegory of the Christian life.  The main character, whose name is Much Afraid, is on a journey with the Good Shepherd (Jesus!) to the High Places.  The Good Shepherd promises to give her two companions for the journey- and she eagerly anticipates meeting Joy and Peace, only to find out that her companions are Sorrow and Suffering.  WHAT???  Then Sorrow and Suffering lead Much Afraid to the desert.  When Much Afraid calls out to the Good Shepherd to correct this error, he gently tells her, "That is the path, Much Afraid, and you are to go down there." 

Saint Theresa of Avila said, "Lord, if this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so many enemies!"  As we suffer our trials and weather the storms, it's easy to cry out, "But Lord!  We trust you!  We serve you!  Why are we still suffering?"  But Scripture did not tell us the way would be easy if we followed Him. In fact, Christ tells us we'll have to pick up our cross and follow Him.  We'll have to pick up our CROSS to follow Him.  Cross means sacrifice- and lay our hearts, hopes, dreams, hurts, and pain at the altar. In fact the Catechism (CCC 618) quotes Saint Rose of Lima as saying, "Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven."  It is ONLY through the cross that we are able to share in the glory of Heaven, and we are called to participate in Christ's Sacrifice. 

Hinds' Feet on High Places is based on the book of Habakkuk.  Its climax is verses 3:17-19.  I've paraphrased these verses in a past post, and will apply them to this current situation.  I'm quoting the Amplified Version of the Bible.

Though you've given me sorrow and suffering as traveling companions,
though you've asked me to lay my heart and son on the altar,
though I'm terrified of risking it all again in another adoption,
though I'm terrified of not risking it all and never having a family,
Yet will I rejoice in the LORD and exult in my saving God.


The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds' feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!