“When you are at the end of your rope … When you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you … When you are torn apart with hunger …”–these are times Jesus says the life of God can take deep root (Matthew 5:1-6). These are times when desire for God, passion if you will, can take on fresh flame.
Jesus was speaking to the weary, the broken, the tired. He did not challenge them to move past their despair, to cheer up with some attempt to view the silver lining in their dark cloud. He encouraged them to embrace their disillusionment, to own their dark place–and find God in it. (Winn Collier, “The Somber Side of Passion,” Relevant Magazine: no. 13, p. 36)
