"Pain... Until Christ Is Formed in You."

I ask for the grace to pray and meditate faithfully. I ask for tolerance, patience, compassion, and empathy. I ask to abstain from anger, anxiety, compulsive behaviour, discouragement, and self-importance. I ask to know and follow Jesus more closely, seeking justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly.


Galatians 4:17-20
¹⁷They make much of you, but for no good purpose; they want to exclude you, so that you may make much of them. ¹⁸It is good to be made much of for a good purpose at all times, and not only when I am present with you. ¹⁹My little children, for whom I am again in the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, ²⁰I wish I were present with you now and could change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.


1) "...they want to exclude you;" "...so that you may make much of them;" "...in the pain of childbirth;" "...until Christ is formed in you;" "...I wish I were present;" "...I wish I... could change my tone;" "...I am perplexed about you;"


2) Perplexed.  Paul softens so much in this latter part of the letter.  Such affection comes out, "I am perplexed about you;" "I am again in the pain of childbirth;" "my little children;" "It is good to be made much of for a good purpose at all times;" "they want to exclude you." Here it becomes clear, Paul's wrath has not been with the Galatians themselves, but with those who would convince them that they are excluded, "less than" those who follow the observance of the "law." I know it is easy to forget and obscure with whom and what I am perplexed. It is easy to mistaken someone being perplexed with a situation and perplexed with the person in the situation. I'm seeing this manifest frequently in my community right now. In some situations, I feel I can be really clear with myself and others that I'm perplexed with the situation... not the people in the situation. In other situations, it is not so clear, for me or others. I have difficulty myself separating the individual from the situation. Of course... the individual caused the situation, or let the situation become what it is (I like to think I would have done things differently).  But still, the situation isn't the individual and the individual still needs empathy. I wonder what Paul needs to feel he could change his tone?


3) What is the invitation in all this? to separate individuals from situations. To make a greater effort to address my own tone. I have been... I need to watch my tone with myself too. This whole spiritual practice/growth is about learning to find empathy with the things I hate most about myself.


"Holy One, be with us in the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in us."


Breathprayer: "Pain... until Christ is formed in you."