Echoing throughout Oscar’s talk was the line “we all suffer differently.” He shared first about the suffering of his wife giving birth and his daughter having a headache. Then, Oscar reminded us that we never suffer alone. He described times when he sacrificed for his children and explained that his own sacrifices are nothing compared to the sacrifice that the Father makes for each of us. When God sacrificed His son for His children, He made the ultimate sacrifice. As Oscar says “God revealed Himself through the beauty of that cross.”
The cross is a constant reminder that we never have to suffer alone. In order to be like Jesus, we must suffer. Because of that cross, our suffering has a purpose. When Simon carried the cross with Jesus, he got to know Jesus. Jesus wants to get to know us in our sufferings.
Oscar explained a time when he got to know Jesus deeply because of suffering. He candidly shared a time where his deepest wounds were used by others to talk down about him, thinking that he would never hear about it. In that moment when he was suffering the most, Oscar knew what it meant to be like Jesus. He was rejected, dismissed, and ignored. Even in that time of heartbreak, he was reminded of Jesus. Jesus draws near within suffering. The cross is heavy, but he knew that he wasn’t carrying it alone.
The cross is heavy and painful, but the cross reveals the Savior.
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