“Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us.” (Pema Chodron, “When Things Fall Apart”)

 ^“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 Cor. 10:13)

When I came through a particularly difficult time in my last ministry, I found this quote from Pema Chodron and printed out a copy to put on my wall. It is a reminder to me that without trials and tribulations in our lives, we will never realize what our true strengths are. Sometimes it’s because of illness or death that we find ourselves in this place. We experience a sense of loss—loss of our loved ones, loss of our youth, loss of our life.

When things are shaky and nothing is working and we feel like giving up, if we persist we might realize that we are on the verge of something that is not going to destroy us, but make us stronger. Uncertainty is a very vulnerable and tender place to find ourselves, and that vulnerability can take us down many different paths. Yes, we can shut down and feel resentful, getting angry at everyone and every situation that reminds us of that vulnerability. Or we can touch the pain, the uncertainty and recognize it for the teaching moment that it is. In other words, we can lean into the vulnerability, not run away from it.

There is something interesting and exciting about being tested, and finding ourselves suffering groundlessness. When the earth feels as if it has been pulled out from underneath our feet, we should see it as a kind of testing, the kind of testing that activates our inner “spiritual warrior” – which is a call to awaken our hearts.

When we see the testing in our lives as an opportunity to find strength in our lives and strength in our faith, then we live with a renewed trust in G-d every day.

Pastor Dave