So how are we to turn our suffering
into a blessing? That is a great
question and one I seek to help you find an answer to. I feel it is important for us to come to the
realization that through our suffering comes good. Let’s not misunderstand this statement, in no
way am I saying that I like to hear that people are suffering because I know
that God is using it for the betterment of them and/or those around them. But let me also point out that my wisdom and
understanding of this world is but a micro-sized speck compared to God’s wisdom. There are many things that I hear and wish
they would never have had to happen, but I do know that God is for us, not
against us. At the very least I hope
that you can find peace in knowing that the Creator of all, He who loved us so
much that He came to this earth in the flesh, so that we could be saved; He is
paving the road that we all travel. It is
He that is bringing these difficulties into our lives. It is so important to know that God loves us,
because otherwise we could be discouraged at the thought of God bringing pain into
our lives. If we will just take the
right approach when dealing with our hardships, we will allow God to use them
for the good He intends them to be. If
you ever begin to get discouraged at the fact that God has created these pains
for your life, and you just do not see the light at the end of the tunnel, not
being able to see why or how God could use them for good, please do not turn
your back on God. Know that He loves you
more than you could ever realize. Do not
forget that the greatest act of love ever committed was done by God Himself,
and He did it for you. In scripture we
learn that Jesus is God in the Flesh.
Jesus and God are one in the same, there is no difference between the
two, Jesus is God and God is Jesus. So
when you are down, do not let it escape you that He who is allowing these
difficulties in your life, is the same One that sacrificed Himself for you, so
that you could forever be in His presence.
Friends, I do not know about you, but I know in my heart that God’s love
for us is so deep that He provides us our salvation. He would not bring
sufferings into our lives unless it was for our own good.
There are
some people who convince themselves that there is no suffering to those who
have great faith. Now let me clarify, I
am talking about people who believe that if you have enough faith you will never
get sick, never have anything that is conflicting with your happiness come into
your life. This is simply not true and
is actually an act of unfaithfulness towards God. Think about this, how much faith are you
showing God if you begin to make yourself truly believe that through enough
faith, there will be no suffering? When
you do this are you not telling God that you do not trust in His perfect
plan? In what way are you showing God
your complete trust in Him when you do not believe that He is using our
sufferings for good? We show God our
true faith and trust in Him when we surrender ourselves to Him, allowing His
Will to be done, and not wishing for that of our own.
Why is it
that some will condemn those who are suffering, making statements that we
suffer because of our sins. Suffering
does not automatically make you a victim.
Yes, sometimes we do suffer because of our sins, but this is not the
case for all of our suffering. It is
good to know that suffering is not necessarily a punishment for sin; but rather
it is always for the betterment of us. To
give us an example of this, will look at John 9:1-3, in which Jesus and His
disciples came across a blind man; - “As
He went along, He saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?” “Neither this
man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works
of God might be displayed in him.”” Another
thing to make note of, is that suffering is not to be avoided at all
costs. There are times that God calls us
to hardship, pain, and suffering. I once
heard a statement that reiterates this in a sense that is easier for us to
relate with and it goes like this, “I would rather have a bumpy ride to Heaven
than a smooth ride to Hell.”
With the
goodness that comes from suffering, we should just stand by and allow evil to
happen, right? No, in no way should we
passively allow evil to happen; and suffering is no excuse for permitting it to
happen. God does not use suffering as an
act of atonement, but an act of sanctification.
Our suffering is not God making us come good on our sins, as some people
think that is the case. It is not, Jesus
came and paid the price for our sins, and through faith in Him we are freed
from sins deathly grip. Though I hope to
help myself and others understand why we suffer and how there is good that can
come from suffering, I must also say that I do not think suffering is to be
fully understood in this life. I do not
think we have the knowledge, nor the cognitive ability to fully grasp God’s use
of suffering in our lives. To just make
a quick point on this, there are many things in this world that I just do not
understand why people have to go through the immense pain and sufferings that
comes from the circumstances that some people encounter, but that is because
our wisdom is minute compared to God’s, as well as our way of thinking compared
to His.
Our God is
Sovereign; there is not an instance that goes by that He did not put into
action. There is never a moment that He
is not in control. It is easy for us to
wonder why our loving God, who is in complete control, would allow for us to
suffer. Our suffering is not beyond the
goodness of our Sovereign God. We are
reminded of this in Romans 8:28, “And we know
that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are
the called according to His purpose.”
Let me also point out that man brought suffering to himself. When God created this world along with Adam
and Eve, everything was perfect; there was no pain or suffering. It was man who disobeyed God, man brought
suffering onto himself.
When we see
others suffering at times that we are not, this does not mean that we are in a
better situation with God. If you allow yourself to feel this way, you are
forgetting the life of our Savior Jesus Christ.
One thing that is hard to understand is why the people who are wronged
usually the ones who are the victims to suffering. Why is it not the one who does the wrong that
suffers? Do not fret; if you have been
wronged, understand that God will right all wrongs. Do not hold resentment and vengeance in your
heart towards the person who has hurt you; follow the example that our Savior
gave us, pray for them. Matthew 5:44 - “But I say to you, love your
enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for
those who spitefully use you and persecute you…” Free that resentment from
your heart, understand that God is your vindicator, He brings justice to all
injustice; in the end God will set the crooked paths straight. We need to be careful not to rejoice when
others suffer. When a politician falls,
a celebrity falls, we should not rejoice at their failure.
If we will
put God at the center of our hearts, trusting in Him at all times, we should
rejoice in suffering. Some will think
this is cruel, but that is because they relate rejoicing to a feeling of
joy. Joy is an emotion, and you cannot
command someone to have an emotion. You
cannot walk up to someone experiencing deep pain and order him or her to feel
happy. Likewise, you cannot walk up to a
couple on their wedding day and tell them to mourn, it just does not work that
way. Rejoicing, however, is possible
when we suffer. The reason to rejoice is
because we know that God can do something good; in suffering there is an
opportunity for much to made of in us through Jesus.
There will
be suffering and when you suffer, do it well.
Suffer like Jesus; let Him use your suffering for the good of the
world. Invest your suffering in the
Gospel of Jesus, into the people who know Him, and those that need to know
Him. You do not rejoice because of the
pain of suffering, you rejoice because of the magnitude of the works being used
by Jesus through your suffering.
John 16:33 – “I have told you all this so
that you may have peace in Me. Here on
earth you will have many trials and sorrows.
But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
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