Through hardship and struggle, the kingdom of God comes alive in us
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Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor
By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor
“Someday people will want peace so badly that governments had better get out of their way and let them have it.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower.
What good is anything until it is tested and proven?
We might think it is good. We might believe it will be reliable. We might hope that it is going to come through for us. But until it is challenged and put to the test, we cannot really say that we know its worth.
When it is tried and tested, then we will know its value.
The word today shows several signs of understanding this truth.
Hardships prove our faith. Many disciples have been willing to suffer and die for their faith; they were tortured and put to death. Before they died, they realized that they had already become kingdom people.
When John talks about his vision of a new earth, he too recognizes that things must come to an end: “The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”
There is no doubt that in things coming to an end, much suffering and struggle is often realized. Jesus himself tells his disciples: “My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.”
This is the ultimate pain, to lose someone because they depart from our lives.
These challenges — so different and yet in some ways so much the same — all bring hardship and struggle. They also challenge us to dig down deep into our soul and test and prove how much trust we really have.
This is where we discover the kingdom alive in us. God dwells in these places in a special way.
Here is where God leads, graces, fills, strengthens, teaches and loves.
The kingdom is alive!
Father Perry D. Leiker is pastor of St. Bernard Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142, Ext. 112; email perry.leiker@gmail.com. Follow Father Perry on Twitter: @MrDeano76.
