Have you heard this saying before? "God doesn't call the qualified; He qualifies the called." I like the gist of this message—this reminder that the Lord will make a way for us in our vocations and in His will. We may not know the way, but He does, and He'll lead us there. This is what came to mind today when I read about the chains falling from Saint Peter's wrists when the angel appeared, ready to lead Him out of prison.

What also came to mind are the chains on my metaphorical wrists: my weaknesses, fears, and doubts.

I pray time and time again for these chains to break off and to be released from their burden and weight. But when that doesn't happen, I try to think about how I can best live while they're still on, still here, because life goes on despite our sufferings. And I'd like to go on, too.

In all my reading about suffering and how to live in spite of it, one thing I've seen mentioned a few times is the suggestion to replace the question of "why—why are you letting this happen, Lord?" with "where—where do you want me to be led through this?"

Maybe the answer is "still here," and who knows why, but I think about this idea of still being here in the present moment.

The Lord must have had a reason for allowing Saint Peter to have those chains kept on for however long he did, and I'd like to believe He has some special purpose for our chains too. We may not know it now or in five years or ever, but I'd like to try to live like that—like there is some special purpose for this time, here and now, because living like that actually does make the weight and burdens a little lighter.

Where might the Lord be leading you through your chains?

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[bctt tweet="There is some special purpose for this time. // @praymorenovenas" username="blessedisshe__"]