I used to try to surround myself with people who were wiser than me. Now, I’m shooting for deeper. As much as I love learning theology, and what the Greek and Hebrew definitions of words mean, what I really want is to brush up against an ignited soul, whose heart beats ferociously to know, intimately, the Living God.
It is my experience that those sorts of humans don’t come by that type of character without pushing hard through suffering. It is not about whether or not we will suffer, but rather how we handle it. Do we allow our trials to crush us? Or do we bring our crushed spirits into the hand of the Almighty to restore us and breathe that breath of life into our lungs once again? Do we allow ourselves to be changed by the struggle, or do we flee it?
Daniel planted his knees right there in that windowsill and continued to pray, knowing that it would cost him everything, and yet he turned right into his suffering, didn’t he? He had no way of imagining that he would be delivered from that pit of ravenous lions, only that he would be cast in there. Rather than avoid the pain, he avoided avoiding it. And his story changed history.
There are no promises for goodness in suffering, apart from Christ, and if you hope to have your sorrows redeemed, you must put your hope in Him to do it. Yet, for the Christian, there are endless promises of God’s goodness towards us, right in the midst of our trials, pain and suffering. And in the end, we are promised abundance. So, fight right through it. Fight with hope. Perseverance. Thankfulness. Fight with that shield of faith in a good God that gives triumph to His children and a hope in a world that lasts much longer than this one. And re-think your suffering. Maybe your suffering is carving deeper crevices in your soul and transforming you into His likeness. Maybe your suffering is actually a gift.
