The world now is like an oil press and we all feel its pressure. If you are dregs [remnants], you run off down the drain; if you are the good oil, you remain in the vat. Pressure is applied by famine, war, poverty, need, epidemics, robbery, greed, and unrest in the cities. Some people grumble, “Look what great evils there are in these Christian times!” That’s the dregs collapsing under the pressure of the times. But now hear the voice of those who like good oil have been purified and strengthened by the pressure. They cry out, “O God, blessed be your name. You foretold that these bad times would come and you promise that good times are to come. Train us well through the pressure of these bad times so that we may receive the heavenly inheritance you have promised.”

—Sermon 113A.11

If you have ever wondered what Christian humility and real faith look like, here is a brief example. As Augustine wisely points out, life’s pressures will bring out our true selves, for good or for ill. How are you holding up under the pressure of life? Are you trying to do it by yourself or are you asking God for help?