Nothing Left But God

On this last day at work before a layoff, a Los Angeles man received an emergency call to hurry home, where he was horrified to find his house in ashes and his wife and four small children dead. Totally bereft of family, house, job, and even insurance, he wept in his neighbor's arms, "I have nothing left but God."

No one can pass through life without experiencing some loss. It may be abandonment, divorce, financial loss, job loss, loss of a friend, or loss of our good reputation. For some people, like starving war refugees or those tortured or imprisoned injustly, the deprivations reach the very limits of human endurance, The sign of a truly authentic Christian is the ability to submit every aspect of life to the lordship of Christ. We learn to trust in God's permissive will, which sometimes includes physicial evils such as pain and poverty. In so doing, we know that some good will eventuate from these things; "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose" (Rm 8:28, RSV).

When we endure hardship, we should try to echo King David's words of hope: "My Lord, apart from you I have no good thing" (Ps 16:2).

This excerpt is from the book One-Minute Meditations for Busy People, by John H. Hampsch, C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/video recordings can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408 or www.Catholicbooks.net