The Holy Spirit will transform only that which we present to Him.

Many times we suffer greatly from pain, but we don’t focus on our suffering and also we don’t use this to our advantage as a moment for growth or to discover a new path, a new form of living. The wound of betrayal, calumny, of speaking bad about you, of lack of understanding of you, of deception, of depression, of rejection, at times these bring us to a greater suffering that that which it really is, and this sentiment, many times, paralyzes us. Therefore, brothers and sisters we are not going to cultivate it, but yes, going to look at it anew in faith.

The first path that we should give daily in conflict is to face it and name it. The danger exists of passing through life seeing all through rose colored glasses, like we don’t need to see and face conflicts, acting as the ostrich that says “That which shouldn’t be, doesn’t exist” and put our heads in the sand. It is important that we don’t put warm cloths over our individual conflicts or communities. That is because these conflicts give us always the opportunity to inspire creativity and to find better solutions. In the mutual living between men and women, different cultures and generations, generally conflicts occur that can’t be solved interiorly. Therefore, we need to learn to live with these difficulties and with these differences.

It is important to know that the Holy Spirit will transform only that which we present to Him. Our holiness passes through our humanity and the grace works with our action.  In the moment of our pain caused by a conflict, I have the tendency to wrestle, to fight, to act through impulse, but, with the passing of years, I have learned that at times we don’t have to speak for the Lord to justify us. Thanks to God, I have the wise husband that helps me a lot to not want always to be right! Always I ask the Holy Spirit to control my temperament; I want to be a woman driven by Him, walking in the roads of Jesus.

To explain this matter, I transcribe below this story:

The old teacher asked a young sad man to put a handful of  salt in a cup of water and drink it. “What is the taste?” asked the teacher.

“Bad,” said the student.

The teacher smiled and asked the young man that he put another handful of salt and bring it to the lake. The two walked in silence and the young man through the salt in the lake. Then the old man said: “Drink a little of this water.”

When the water fell from the chin of the young man the teacher asked: “What is the taste?”
“Good,” said the young man.

“Did you taste salt?” asked the master.

“No,” said the young man.

The master then sat down next to the the young man, held his hands and said:

“Pain in life of a person never changes, but the flavor of the pain depends on where we put it. When you feel pain, the only thing you should do is increase the sense of all you have. And give more value to what you have than what you lose. “

In other words, it is to let the cup become a lake.

God gives us the grace that we don’t rise above our sufferings but He helps us to face them. Especially those among our relationships, of the type that helps us grow spiritual and humanly to the end that we reach the Maturity of Christ.

I continue to intercede for you!
Marina Adamo.

Marina Adamo is a member of the New Song Community, she writes from Brazil. Her husband Vinicius directed the Atlanta, GA Mission House of the New Song Community, before he and Marina returned to Brazil earlier this year.

Translated from Portuguese

Photo Credits:

Middle: Sergieiev via bigstockphoto.com