Ever heard of Father Walter Ciszek?
Lots of people are talking about him these days.
He was a Jesuit priest from Pennsylvania who traveled to the Soviet Union as a missionary - and ended up imprisoned in the Gulag for 23 years.
The book he wrote about his experiences, He Leadeth Me, is a mind-boggling account of the inner transformation that occurs when we abandon ourselves completely to the will of God.
And it wasn't easy.
Years of starvation and torture brought Father Ciszek to the absolute brink.
He eventually even signed a false confession, hoping to be freed.
And when that only made things worse, he despaired.
It was that period of despair that eventually led him to understand how radically he needed to surrender to Divine Providence.
But here's the real kicker. Once he did so - his life didn't suddenly, miraculously improve.
Yes (Praise God!), he did eventually make it home to the United States after many years.
But despite all he had already suffered, and all of the amazing work God had already done in him, his life was still pretty messy for a very long time.
And it was in that messiness that God got down to serious business.
The same is true for us.
We tend to imagine that once we truly submit ourselves to Divine Providence, everything in our life should fall into place.
After all, if we're living in God's perfect will for our lives, doesn't it make sense that our lives would be smooth sailing?
Unfortunately, because of sin, it doesn't work that way.
And that's exactly the subject of today's video.
In fact, because it's such a powerful topic, I'm actually sharing a full video lesson from the Science of Sainthood course Total Abandonment to God's Will.
It's called When Abandonment Gets Messy, and it's going to give you a totally new perspective on the deep mystery of suffering, despair, and God's will.
If this sample lesson from the Science of Sainthood program whets your appetite to learn more, you can sign up to get access to ALL of the Science of Sainthood courses HERE!
It's step by step spiritual formation unlike anything you've ever seen!
God bless,
Matthew
