Content to fill a little space...

Her life trials seem unbearable to me.  She endured the darkness of grief at the death of nine of her infant children, four of which were twins, one of which was accidently smothered by her maid while she was sleeping. 

Her husband, a preacher and pastor, left her over a petty political disagreement; she was overwhelmed with caring for all ten children during that difficult time (he finally returned after a while).

They dealt with plenty of opposition from the parishioners in their community – their children were bullied, their family crops destroyed, their cows and pets abused.

They struggled financially.  Their house burned down, not once, but twice, losing all their possessions, and they had no insurance.

Even through a lifetime of tremendous losses and grief, this woman of faith was still able to say, “I am content to fill a little space if God be glorified.”

I stumbled across a couple of her prayers that show me how God used her difficulties for spiritual transformation.  With her words, I can join hands with Susanna across the centuries and pray to our same God and Lord Jesus Christ :

Help me, O Lord, to make a true use of all disappointments and calamities in this life, in such wise that they may unite my heart more closely with Thee. Cause them to separate my affections from worldly things and inspire my soul with more vigour in the pursuit of true happiness. 

Since I must expect to meet with many difficulties, much opposition, many disappointments and daily trials of faith and patience in my passage through this world, may it be my highest wisdom to disengage my affections as much as I lawfully may from all transitory, temporal enjoyments, and to fix them on those more rational spiritual pleasures which we are to enjoy when we enter upon our state of immortality. (Quoted from Streams of Living Water, by Richard Foster, page 243).

Susanna Wesley (1669-1742) -- she found God in the details and served Him there. Oh, but that I could consistently be like her and see everything in light of God’s control, to see His goodness in every detail, and hang onto a hope that can carry me through any circumstance -- with a love that could overcome evil with good!