by Katie Patrick
I have never known of a person making it through life without bearing a cross of some kind. The cross on the outside looks different for each of us. But on the inside, God never gives any one person more than he or she can bear – alone. Through the pain and suffering, God is with us, begging us to let Him in, to accompany us as we bear our crosses.
One of my good friends in Congo, Esther, quickly comes to mind when I think of the different crosses we bear and the graces that flow from them when we allow God into our hearts to help us through difficult times.
Esther’s husband, whom she loved very deeply, died at the hands of corrupt politicians. Speaking out against the government can still get you killed in many places around the world today and, sadly, when he called out corruption and those responsible, he was met with brute force and murdered. In the beginning, his loss consumed Esther. She had no desire to live without him. But, as a woman of profound faith, Esther prayed for strength, and in time, God answered.
In 2014, I started my nonprofit organization in Congo with a group of local women, who I met after my year of voluntary mission work. Esther, a graduate of the all-girls high school with a degree in coupe et couture (sewing), joined us shortly after finishing her studies. She made the most beautiful handbags for me to sell here in the U.S.
Esther left for a few years once she got married, but after her husband’s death, she returned to the village where the nonprofit is located. That is when we recruited her for one of our projects: teaching young women, living in the village of Watsa/Mangoro, how to sew.
Traveling back and forth, Esther established herself there, in a new village, among a new community. During this time, as a recent widow, she needed some financial assistance. The women of our nonprofit came to her aid. By their actions, Esther saw how God was providing for her. He placed these women in her life so that she might once again see love and kindness in the world.
Esther told me she initially accepted the teaching opportunity with us only as a distraction to help the pain of losing her husband go away. But over time, the community of the women who are part of our nonprofit embraced her and loved her, not expecting anything in return. Esther’s heart began to heal and she not only invited Christ into her heart to help with the cross she bore, but she allowed her friends and the community to help her, too.
It’s not our crosses that define us, but the way we bear the crosses. Do we invite Christ our Savior to assist? Do we allow God the Father to comfort us when we feel isolated? Do we turn to the Holy Spirit so that we can someday be a light for others in their time of darkness?
On the final day of my trip to Congo, when Esther shared her story with me, I looked back on our time earlier that day, when she proudly called the names of the women who completed the sewing course in Wasta/Mangoro, and invited them forward to receive their graduation certificates. Esther was filled with joy that day. Yes, her husband died a terrible death and she was initially left alone in the world, but in time and through prayer, God gave her dozens of women who now call her daughter, sister, and friend.
May each of us who bear a cross, visible or invisible, be assured of God’s unconditional love for us and His desire to invite us, to accompany us, and to strengthen us, so that our pain can be transformed into a light that shines for all. May God bless you as we conclude this Lenten season and move forward to the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
