Tracie Mark
“And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you, make you strong, firm and steadfast .” 1 Peter 5:10
Suffering…” the state of undergoing pain, distress, loss, punishment or hardship.”
Oh, what joy.
If you were thinking this Christian walk was going to be a continual glory, you need to re-read that verse. God calls us to suffer. Wow! Are you ready? Do I have any takers out there? A volunteer who will gladly, gleefully, accept and even welcome this house guest? Perhaps you might be willing to entertain this friend for a weekend, but what if he meant to stay for an unlimited, undetermined, prolonged amount of time? I’ve heard well-meaning Christians say, maybe it’s only for a season? Perhaps, but I have learned that in God’s time, a season does not always mean three months! What if it meant YEARS? How many of us would be rushing to get our guest rooms ready? I doubt many.
I know a measure of suffering. I imagine each one of us has to some degree. Who can put an amount or degree to one or another’s pain? Is mine worse than yours? Does the length of time we suffer matter, or is it the type of suffering that matters the most? I must admit, I do hate pain and the thought of physical suffering gives me extreme pause…but the pain from a broken heart is more than this mother can bear at times. The loss of one’s freedom and the complete isolation and confinement behind steel bars can break you mentally. Accusations, persecutions, and lies are thrown out by friends and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are like knives hurled straight at the heart that pierce our souls. The death of a loved one or marriage can cause physical and emotional pain that transcends words.
So why must we suffer? We suffer because in order to live a life of selfless love, we must be able to react to pain, sorrow, hurt, tribulation, loss and every wrong thing in such a way that they would be overcome in such a victorious way that God gets all the praise, honor and glory. We know that nothing happens to us that does not first go through the Father’s hands, even the most unjust and cruel things, the seemingly pointless and undeserved sufferings, have all been allowed by God as an amazing opportunity to get us to react to them in such a way that He is able to produce in us, His own gracious character.
Acceptance with joy.
This is a place of victory that cannot be reached by self-discipline or a crucifying of the will. The only way to get there is by learning to accept, day by day, the actual trials and tests permitted by God, by a continuing and repeated laying down of our will and acceptance of His will, however, it is presented to us…people who we have to work and live with, sickness, need or any other adversity. Every acceptance of His will becomes an altar of sacrifice and praise. The lessons learned from accepting and triumphing over evil, from spending time with grief, pain and sorrow, and ultimately discovering that they have been transformed into something priceless… a willing, glad surrender to the Lord that creates an unbroken union with Him, the true Lover of our soul. This level of relationship with the Lord is what sustains us, what propels us to continue, what comforts us. It’s only after we are comforted that we realize we are now comfortable. Not comfortable in our suffering, but comfort-able…able to turn and offer comfort to others who are now suffering from the same things that we have triumphed over and overcome. “We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.”(Rev. 12:11) Nothing is wasted, friends.
That’s right, we are now able to comfort others BECAUSE OF our suffering. Not in spite of, in lieu of, or despite… because of. Because we suffered, we can now comfort the suffering. Quite frankly, we can never have compassion and enjoy the mountain if we haven’t learned it in the valley. If you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death do you want someone there with you to feel sorry for you or do you want someone who’s been there who can show you the way out? Sympathy is empathy without compassion. I don’t know about you, but as lonely as it gets in the valley, I don’t want a pity party buddy…I want a buddy who can encourage me to hurry up and get to the party!
I will be honest with you, suffering scares me. But a life without Jesus scares me more. So, I will continue to accept with joy the suffering life brings, knowing that it brings me closer and closer to the One my heart loves.
Yes, oh, what joy suffering can bring.
Watchmen On The Pod 