1 Peter 5:8-9
Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings.
Have you ever felt like you are all alone? I feel that way all the time. Sometimes that lonely feeling is strongest when I'm surrounded by people. The root of that loneliness is not physically being by myself, it's feeling like I'm the only one standing there in pain.
This incredible video made the rounds on the internet a few years back. It was a training video for Chick-fil-A and it was powerful! In it we see customers and employees walking through a regular day at Chick-fil-A. But hovering around each person is a little one line story about what they are facing in their life at that moment. From a guy who just got fired to an elderly gentlemen who just beat cancer. We see that everyone has their own story, some happy, some sad. Here's the video.
In today's reading we are reminded that the enemy is waiting to pounce on us. He is using our inner dialogue to make us think we are all alone in our pain, even in our celebrations. That separation from one another and from God is what will do us in. Over this last year I have learned the power of sharing my moments of pain with those around me. It's often uncomfortable, but when I allow myself to be open to others it reminds them that they are not alone in their suffering.I have found that it also gives them permission to share their sufferings. Which reminds me that I am not alone in mine! Today let St. Peter's words ring out in your head and drown out that inner dialogue of doubt and loneliness. "Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings."
