Thought for the day

The purpose of troubling experiences—so far as we can discern it—is to wean us from our idea of a God who always pampers us and to bring us to God as he really is, our rock and fortress. We are deprived of the pleasures of Christian experience in order to move to greater heights. We can be guilty of lust for spiritual things as well as material. We can lust for pleasures of the soul and not really desire virtue. We can be gluttonous for spiritual sweets and delicacies. We must be weaned from this and not shy away from the dark night. God is not always near and intimate. God pursues good purposes in the silence and aridity of the night too. The wilderness experience of withdrawal from spiritual sweetness is essential for maturing. Let us not flee from it—God has a deep work to do in our lives. Is garbage not taken out weekly, rather than only once? Is it a pleasant duty? The cup of discipleship must be drunk to the bitter end. Let us not shrink back and refuse to let God transform us. If renewal stops with spiritual delicacies, it will not fulfill its purpose.— Flame of Love, page 180