Trust in testing times

Tears and triumphs. Zeniths and nadirs. Peaks and plateaus. Crests and troughs on the waves of happiness. Well, our life’s journey, just like a roller-coaster ride, is replete with remarkably cyclic things. When extreme joys exponentially elevate our mind to ecstasy and exhilaration; deadly failures drown us in deep despair and despondency. During which time our trust in Divinity tends to wane.

Here, I am reminded of a talk I had with an acquaintance. She narrated an incident in her life which I wish to quote here.

"It was once a painful period, when my prospects were plummeting on the professional front, with my projects precipitating in fiascos. Especially, when I had been beavering away, without bothering even a wee bit about body burnout factors. I was too busy to pay attention to myself. At that time, an acquaintance had announced on WhatsApp about she bidding adieu to her present career. Since she was plunging into another promising one with a plum pay-package. But, before that, she intended on going gallivanting around the globe. She had posted her pics, too, posing before her plush flat in a posh locality.

"Incidentally, I had heard of she being dubious person, ever dodging official duties. To see such mean-minded, merrily riding on massive waves of joy, my trust in Lord was kind of mutilated. Only later, I came to know she hadn’t opted to quit her job, but was ousted by her company, owing to her odious records. And, all the razzle-dazzle she projected was nothing but a charade, as she was steeped in debt and was finding it tough to repay the loans on her flat and car. Meanwhile, my career started taking upward trajectory, with two of my projects turning out better than expected. I slowly realised then that God keeps subjecting us to a series of severe tests, for a ‘specific reason’ which we should trust.”

Well, the subtext of this story is, to not sink in sorrows, by seeing someone else's happy countenance. We are never sure about the real picture. Secondly, just as there are rewards for the good, there are severe retributions, too, to the sinned. And, the dreariness of difficult times would definitely end, just as the darkness of night, that opens doors to delightful rays of dazzling sun, the next day.