- How do you bear the daily sufferings of life?
- How do you follow Jesus in bearing life’s miseries with patience and love?
- What does it mean to embrace both chosen and unchosen sufferings as a share in Christ’s own Cross?
Ch. 18: Temporal miseries (sufferings) must be borne calmly after the example of Christ. [Jesus left the joy heaven to become a man of sorrows to suffer miseries on earth for us. So if we are going to be like Jesus we have to have miseries like Him. Acknowledge and embrace your miseries with patience and unite them to Jesus, for those miseries are meanigful and those sufferings are salvific.]
Ch. 19: Bearing injuries and who is revealed to be truly patient. [Don't say you don't want to suffer things from some people, but ok if it comes from another. You can't choose your preferred suffering/cross. There is both active and passive mortification.] You cannot attain the crown of patience without battle (some struggle). If you refuse suffering, you also refuse the crown. If you wish to be crowned fight like a man and bear everything patiently. No one gets to rest without work and no one reaches victory without a fight. You (God) know that I can suffer little and quickly give up when even some light adversity arises. Let every time I am put to the test become lovable and desirable to me for the sake of your name. For suffering and being tried for You is quite healthy for my soul.
Ch. 20: Acknowledging one's own weaknesses and the miseries of this life. It is often some paltry matter that leves me dejected and sad. I resolve to act with fortitude, but when some small temptation comes my way it causes me great distress. I sometimes find myself nearly knocked down by a small puff of air. What frequently throws me back and makes me fail in your sight is that I am so liable to fall and weak when it comes to resisting my passions. Even if I do not give full consent, I find their assault (pursuit after me) bothersome and burdensome (most annoying and distressing) and living a state of conflict like this each and every day wearies me greatly. The way I become aware of my weakness is that vile fantasies rush upon me much more easily than when they leave me. What kind of life is this where there is no shortage of trial and miseries, where everything is full of snares and foes. [God is not surprised by our weakness, our littleness, our brokenness, our sin. Life is to subject the flesh to the life of the spirit.]
Ch. 21: Over and above all gifts rest is to be found in God. [I can only find rest in God, not in anything else, no matter how wonderful it is.]
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