“Every battle you take on, and every one we fight and win, contributes to the salvation of humanity.” (Inner Word)
When we allow this statement to sink in, many things change. Of course, inner struggles are burdensome, and they remain so until the very end. After all, no one enjoys it when the flesh rebels against the Spirit, and everyone longs for the day when this will finally cease in eternity.
But even the external hardships and afflictions, trials, persecutions, and crosses of every kind are difficult to bear and require us, time and again, to make the decision not to give up! With regard to our salvation, we understand that our resistance and struggle bear witness to our faithfulness to our Father.
Something else is addressed here as well. We recall the great words of Saint Paul:
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” (Col. 1:24)
The inner word quoted above resembles this passage. Thus, it is not merely a matter of successfully defending ourselves against internal and external hostilities, but of taking up the struggle with a different kind of awareness.
We must realize that our Father Himself is fighting within us. It pleases Him to triumph through His children, fully aware of our weakness.
Then it can become clear to us that every battle we wage for the Lord’s sake, that is, in accordance with His will, contributes to the salvation of humanity.
This is an immense perspective that can draw us out of our small world, where we are sometimes tempted to remain stuck in self-pity when faced with difficulties of all kinds. Looking to our Father and the Lord on the cross draws our gaze away from ourselves, and we marvel: God has made everything good. We are allowed to join in the fight! The Lord will incorporate every small effort into His plan of salvation! This can strengthen our courage.
In this way, our struggles in the Lord even become struggles that bring salvation!