Happy Sabbath, friends. I read a bit of encouragement this morning from the book Reflections of God’s Grace in Grief by Faythelma Bechtel, and I wanted to share it with you. I hope it is helpful to you.

Out of the presses of pain cometh the soul’s best wine; and the eyes that have shed no rain can shed but little shine.

“Why is life for some so full of discouragements, sorrows, and suffering, while others seem to travel the path of ease and fulfillment?

For those of us who seem to have more than our share of pain and grief, it is better if we ignore the ‘why’ question and focus on the ‘who’ question.

My Father is the husbandman – not Satan, but God the Father. Even Jesus submitted to the suffering God allowed in His life.

The spirit of resentment and self-pity cannot overwhelm us when we remember that God is the husbandman, pruning away what is detrimental in our lives and making growth and fruitfulness possible.

We may cry out during that painful pruning, but it is those tears of submission that will add the shine to our eyes.

The growth in our lives will help others desire to become what they see us becoming.”

–p. 82