Thus, whenever we rely on God in our time of weakness, we are granted the strength we need. Another aspect of this quote is that we build the body of Christ together, not alone. We each have our skills, abilities and gifts. It can be easy to get ‘carried away’ and get an inflated sense of ourselves. What difficulties can teach us, if we enough faith to be open to the lesson, is that when the going gets tough, we need to rely on God more. Our society values self-reliance – yet when we rely on God, extraordinary things can happen. The gifts and talents of others, which may not have been glimpsed, can come to the fore. By not focussing solely on our own abilities, we become more open to the Spirit’s promptings about others and ourselves.

In their journey towards maturity, self-reliance can seem attractive to young people. And it is not evil, but like many things in life, we need a balance. Young people experience their share of ‘weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities’. By encouraging them towards prayer and sharing our stories of reliance on God, young people may find solace in their difficulties, as well as grow in faith.

Have a great week…and holiday (if you get one)!

Patrick