It’s easy to forget, when everything is going well, that life has its share of sorrows. When I’m at my happiest, enjoying time with friends, someone I know and love may be suffering. When others are full of joy, I may be grieving. Life is full of ups and downs. We all experience happiness as well as sadness. We experience comfort as well as pain. Though we may be filled and satisfied today, we may feel empty and disconsolate tomorrow.
I’ve been thinking about the highs and lows of life over the past few days, so today’s Gospel reading, from Luke 6: 20-26, really hit home with me. Most people are familiar with the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, but not everyone knows the Sermon on the Plain in Luke. The two are actually the same (those who have visited the Holy Land understand how a mount and a plain can be one in the same); however Luke adds more of Jesus’ teachings to his telling. In Luke, Jesus continues his sermon by saying,
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Of course, the Fathers of the Church, those who decided on the rotation of the daily Mass readings, had no way of knowing that I needed this reminder today, but the Holy Spirit works in ways we aren’t meant to understand. I needed to know that sometimes laughter can be turned into sorrow because it reminds me that often, pain can lead to joy, tragedy can lead to good, a brick wall can lead to a new start on a new road.
As it so beautifully says in one of my favorite hymns, The City of God,
The second book in Amy’s Chincoteague Island Trilogy, Island of Promise, is now available in stores and online.
Amy Schisler is an award-winning author of both children’s books and sweet, faith-filled romance novels for readers of all ages. She lives with her husband and three daughters on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Her books, Picture Me, Whispering Vines, and Island of Miracles are all recipients of Illumination Awards, placing them among the top inspirational fiction books of 2015, 2016, and 2017. Whispering Vines was awarded the 2017 LYRA Award for the best romance of 2016. Island of Miracles has outsold all of Amy’s other books worldwide and ranked as high as 600 on Amazon. Her latest children’s book, The Greatest Gift, is now available; and her novel, Summer’s Squall, can be found online and in stores.
You may follow Amy on Facebook at http://facebook.com/amyschislerauthor, Twitter @AmySchislerAuth, Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/amyschisler and at http://amyschislerauthor.com.
Amy’s books: Crabbing With Granddad (2013), A Place to Call Home (2014), Picture Me (2015), Whispering Vines (2016), Island of Miracles (2017), Stations of the Cross Meditations for Moms (2017), The Greatest Gift (2017), Summer’s Squall (2017), Island of Promise (2018).
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