I was in Cancun last December and had the opportunity to take a boat ride to a nearby island (Isla Mujeres). I only had 90 minutes to explore the island on foot, and I ended up spending most of my time at this church. It was well worth it just to see the Stations of the Cross.
I have had a bit of suffering in my own life, and I am only now beginning to truly grasp the level of suffering my mom endured through the years. My mom had numerous physical health challenges throughout her life. However, the suffering I couldn’t see is what impacts me now.
I have an older brother that I never met. He only lived seven days. Sadly, he also died on mom’s birthday (January 28). Mom was not even able to go to the funeral due to still being in the hospital from complications from the birth. Since this all happened before my arrival to earth, it did not impact me in a monumental way. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 25 that I started to grasp the level of grief from both mom and dad.
As the chemo treatments ravaged my body and I looked more and more like death warmed over, the look on my parents’ faces told the story of suffering. Would they soon be burying another one of their children?
What story does your suffering tell? How has God’s grace impacted you?
We are just three weeks away from Ash Wednesday. I simply share these Stations of the Cross now as a precursor to this upcoming holy season. Let the story of salvation unfold before you in these 14 Stations of the Cross. How has the suffering of Jesus, depicted in these unique Stations of the Cross, shaped who you are as a person?
