The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:16-18
Over the past year I have been astounded at the suffering I have seen take place in the body. Cancer, marital problems, houses burning down . . . the last call I received giving me news that my brother was about to have yet another unplanned surgery caused me to say out loud, “God, can’t you give him a break?”
But then I remembered: he is a child of God. He is sharing in the sufferings of Christ.
Just like Jesus shares in our pain, we often are called to share in his. The way Christ became a merciful and faithful high priest was through suffering. He had to become like us in every way, experiencing all of the physical and emotional pain that comes with being human, in order for him to completely empathize with us. This was his choice.
When we choose to follow in his footsteps, we become part of his redemptive plan. We become kernels of wheat that fall in the earth and die so we can bear much fruit. We no longer live for ourselves—we live for God’s glory. We become living testimonies of God’s ability to make the impossible possible. In order for us to become vessels of honor, merciful, faithful, and empathetic to the hurts and needs of others, we suffer. There’s just no way around it.
This does not mean that every single pain we experience on earth is God’s fault or even his will. Sometimes suffering is the result of sin (infidelity, for example). But we can rest in the knowledge that whatever we are going through can serve God’s purpose. Even the most difficult of circumstances can used to bring us closer to our Savior—or bring others to him.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 NIV)
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)
The key to surviving every circumstance is to hold on to hope. We must remember that the Lord is near and he will be faithful to give us the strength to endure to the end and to bring many, many other precious souls with us. . . . souls that will be able to say with us, I know my redeemer lives.
For more on this subject, see these blog posts . . .
Peace & joy,
Stephanie
