(Pt.1)
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”-Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)
It is interesting how many times I have heard over the years, in the midst of a traumatic event or long season of suffering, someone say to a hurting person: “After you get through this, you will have a powerful testimony to share with others.” I am not sure how much real consolation that brings to a person and to be brutally honest I have likely been guilty of saying it myself.
Many times I’ve heard individuals and couples walking through difficult situations say similar things as a way of comforting themselves in the midst of their pain. Sometimes it hurts so much in the moment we try and look forward to a day where we hope things are better. There is an elephant in the room, however, that no one wants to talk about. Suffering involves pain. None of us truly know what to say when someone is enduring a massive amount of pain and distress. So we try and look forward to a day where, perhaps, they will be beyond the pain and then can use that experience to help others. Nevertheless, those well-meaning words bring little solace to the pain we are walking through in the present.
Let’s be honest, suffering is confusing. Well at least how we are suppose to view it. I don’t think that anyone, including Jesus, would deny the real pain and distress that accompany suffering. We have all suffered in some some degree either physically, emotionally, or mentally. In every instance, there is pain associated with that event.
Luke 22:44 tells us that in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus facing death on the cross experienced the pain of suffering: “And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”-Luke 22:44
Suffering means to endure death, pain or distress. None of us are confused by that. We all expect to experience pain when we suffer. However, when you throw in passages like these below, suffering becomes not something to be avoided, but rather something to be expected and embraced:
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”-James 1:2-4
“That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”-Philippians 3:10
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”-1 Peter 4:12-14
The greatest problem we have in regards to suffering is that we, often, fail to see past what we are experiencing to discover what suffering is accomplishing. Our flesh wants to hurry and get through the pain. We want to be able to quickly move beyond the anguish to the “I survived” stage of suffering; where we celebrate the perseverance it took to make it through and share our testimony with others.
Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church
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