I recently got an email from a dear friend who is battling cancer. He said “Hopefully this will explain where we have been the last couple weeks, and where we are going. I’m doing the best I can, but I’m not as grounded in my faith as you are. Remember I’m kind of new at all this and to be honest the devil has been my nemeses. He has whispered in my ear when I’ve been down sick. I’ve been very sick this time around. So far I’ve been able to shoo him away, going to Church renews my soul and gives me a chance to renew my faith.”
That is definitely a heartfelt message and one I have heard before. Since I am not sharing names I feel we can show my response as I am hopeful it may be a help to others who may find this site…
You are new to the faith as you say so here is a story for you. In this story you are a worker that started the job late in the day but your wages are the same as those who worked all day… God loves you as much as he loves any other person on the earth. I have heard that God loves each of us as much as He loves Jesus as He let Jesus trade His Blood for our salvation on the cross.
Matthew 20 New International Version (NIV)
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
20 For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a]for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right. 5 So they went.
He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?
7 Because no one has hired us, they answered.
He said to them, You also go and work in my vineyard.
8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.
9 The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 These who were hired last worked only one hour, they said, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.
13 But he answered one of them, I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?
16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.