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I recently came across a passage from a book by Father Thomas Keating that I had written in the back of my seminary Bible. No doubt I needed those words at the time.

“God is hidden in difficulties. Without difficulties, we do not know the power of God’s mercies and the incredible destiny to be had for each of us. We must be patient with our failures; there is always another opportunity unless we go ashore and stay there. A no-risk situation is the biggest danger there is. To encounter the winds and waves is not a sign of defeat; it is training in the art of of living, which is the act of yielding to God’s action and believing in God’s love no matter what happens.” (Awakenings, p. 15)

What do you think of Keating’s assertion that difficulties are training for the art of living?

Is the true art of living surrendering to God’s love no matter what happens? What is your experience?

For me believing in God’s love no matter what happens is a foundational core of my own spiritual journey. This is what I call Basic Trust. If we do have this kind of trust, if we reject difficulties as mistakes or lack of God’s care, play it safe, or are discouraged by failures, our relationship to all that is Holy will never deepen. We will never know, as Keating says, “the incredible destiny to be had for each of us." 

Notice your response in difficult times. Do you want things to be different than they are? Or can you explore the possibility that these are the portals for transformation?

Pastor Marcia Wakeland is a retired ELCA pastor, a spiritual director and a listening advocate. She is interested in the actual experience of having faith and how that is lived out. She can be reached at mwakeland@gmail.com for comments or more questions Her ongoing blog of living out spiritual practices is listeninglife.live