You're Miserable Too? Cool!

Why is is that we always feel better when we know that other people don't have it all together and are blundering their way through life, sometimes in pain, just like we are?

I always felt guilty for that. I always figured I shouldn't feel better to hear that somebody else is struggling. But I did feel better. Shame on me!

But now I'm not so sure. Maybe there's something theological about this. We want to have a life of ease. Oftentimes we even get caught up in thinking that a comfortable and happy life is a sign of God's pleasure with us. By gum, He owes us for being good little Christians! But that's just plain false! When we see our Christian brothers and sisters having a hard time, and when we know that they are beloved children of God, it's easier to recognize that this is simply the way it is to live life under the cross of affliction. When we're the ones suffering, we think, "Woe is me; God has abandoned me." But He hasn't. Just like He hasn't abandoned our sisters and brothers. So maybe it's not so bad when we're comforted to see other people enduring faithfully. Kinda has the same benefits as celebrating the saints' feast days, but instead with local people who are known to us right now. "See how the Lord sustains them through it all! Praise be to Him!"