In the suffering face of Jesus

Moments of suffering, pain and solitude come in every person's life. Most of the time they come unexpectedly, without asking permission.
When they come so strongly that they seem to tear your heart and soul apart, you find that all your long-held securities and convictions are like ashes in your mouth. They cannot make the pain go away. In fact, they seem to taunt you of your naivete in your views about life, about people.
When experiences like this happen, the greatest tendency is to turn inward. So you appraise your values and convictions. You appraise and reappraise, and the more you do so, the more confused you become.
It is like a cyclone that sucks you.
I don't say that turning inward is not good. In fact, it is necessary if we want to pass from adolescence to adulthood. But there comes a time that we have to look up to someone who can help us make sense of this experience.
We Christians are very fortunate because our God has a face - Jesus. In the suffering face of Jesus we see that pain, sorrow, rejection are all very real, but they don't have the last voice.
Suffering can either make me bitter or better.
Suffering is the school that transforms me into the image and likeness of God ...
but I have to make the choice to let it be so.