[Luke 8] is certainly an example of how, in Christ, we should view outcasts and aliens but, even more importantly, in this story of the demon-possessed pariah, we should see ourselves.
Because while I may be able to see heartache and tears and triumph and laughter behind modern dating shows, what it boils down to is this: we were created to love and be loved, by our Creator and by the people He fills our lives with. And that is a reality I love to celebrate.
The thought “we’re all gonna die” can act as a kind of wake-up call…and it indicates how persistently we are haunted by the possibility that there might be something more, something unseen, something enchanted, something beyond.
No, suffering does not make you stronger. But with God’s help through the guidance of others, we can still find beauty in the life we live around and through the pain.