The Beauty of Suffering
It is 3 am and I can’t sleep. Lately, this seems to be a recurring theme in my life. My first go to is toss, turn, pray; toss, turn, pray. Tonight, I decided I would take the expert’s advise and get up when I wake up. I love my sleep and look forward to that time of day when, as my little grandson says, “Mr. Sun” has gone down, and “Mr. Moon” rises up, but over the past two years and eight months, I have learned to treasure this quiet time with God. Here in these quiet times, I have wrestled with God, questioned God, and begged and pleaded with God for relief from the pain. I have praised him and thanked him for all he has done and all he will do, but one of the greatest lessons I have learned is how to surrender my suffering to His sovereignty.
He is God and I am not.
In the quiet tonight I turned my bible to Philippians where Paul is writing to the church about joy and he is writing it from his jail cell. Now, I don’t know about you, but joy to me does not look like writing a letter of encouragement from a jail cell, but according to Paul, there is joy even in our suffering.
We often confuse joy and happiness. When life is great, and the tide is rolling our way, we consider ourselves happy and joyful, but when tragedy and heart ache hit, all of the sudden our happiness and perception of joy take a left turn into despair. Paul is saying our joy and happiness are not linked. Joy comes from Christ alone. It is buried deep in our soul. It comes from knowing Christ and his promises for our life. It comes from knowing who we are in Christ and where we are headed for eternity. Happiness is a feeling that ebbs and flows. It is dependent on circumstantial, temporal things. The excitement of a wedding day, a new job, everything shiny and bright. Not a dull penny in sight. And then… life happens. Our humanness, our brokenness, our sin, our pride, from living in a fallen world spill out into the lives around us and other people’s brokenness spills into our own life. All those euphoric feelings don’t feel so euphoric anymore. Life hurts, we hurt, and we wonder if we will survive. Deep in our soul, as a Christian, we know we love Jesus, we know He is good. We know He works all things for our good, yet we find ourselves struggling with questions like…Is God really good? Does God really see me? This doesn’t feel good God; how can it possibly be good? It is a mess God. How in the world are you going to fix it? Then we beat ourselves up for even thinking those questions much less asking them.
That, sweet friends, is exactly the moment and position God wants you in. Let me just clarify, God will allow us to walk through suffering, but He does not cause our suffering. Thanks to Adam and Eve, we live in a broken, sinful, hurting world. “I don’t think I would have wanted to live in the lushness and euphoria of the garden of Eden”, said no one ever. The reality is they were human, and they too fell into the trap of the lies and cunningness of the devil. Their choice has caused great brokenness, loss and suffering. Just as our choices and the choices of people around us can cause great brokenness, loss and suffering.
Thank you, God, for sending your son to die on the cross for my broken.
As much as it hurts, the beauty of suffering is that it takes our eyes off of earthly things and changes the position of our heart. You can no longer see yourself in the mirror because your eyes are fixed on God. I personally don’t care to see myself in the mirror these days, so no loss there, but you get what I’m saying. The image of the man in the mirror was created with limitations so that we might know the power and majesty of God, who has no limitations. The maker of heaven and earth. The ruler of ALL things.
Suffering strengthens our faith and it sets an example for others. God will use it to advance to the gospel just as he used Paul’s suffering. “Now I want you to know brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.” Philippians 1:12 “And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.” Philippians 1:14. Here I am saying, “I want a piece of that advancing thing, but could we skip the suffering?” But not Paul…he jumps right out there and says “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in death, and so, somehow attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:8-11 Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Back up one minute. I am digging into that and I am all in “to know the power of his resurrection” “the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith”, sign me up. But you can’t really have all that yummy stuff and just pretend like that is all Paul is signing up for. He says to have all that good, we are going to have to accept “participation in his sufferings”. We are going to have to make sacrifices and they may hurt. We are going to encounter suffering in this life, but didn’t we say that suffering builds our faith? Doesn’t Paul say “righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith”?
Suffering teaches us the true difference between joy and happiness. It plants those seeds of joy deep in our heart and deep in our bones as we put our hope in a God who saves us, who loves us and who has opened up the gates of heaven for us when we put our trust and hope in him. Even in the “suck” we can find contentment and joy in the blessed assurance of God’s promises and provision. A God who loves us so much he sent his ONLY son to DIE on the cross for you and me. To suffer unspeakably horrific things for my broken and your broken. Joy we can count on when we are in times of sorrow and hurt, and joy we can count on when we can’t trust our “happiness” feelings.
He is a good, good God even in our suffering.
I love that Paul goes on to write “Not that I have obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.” I’m thinking hallelujah, not even Paul was perfect, but a work in progress, so there is hope for me! Then he says, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind” (that is a tough one we are going to have to dig deeper into another day) “and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us then who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Philippians 3:12-21
Paul admits he fails, and he is still a work in progress as he presses on toward the goal of eternity. His suffering takes his mind off of earthly things and changes the position of his heart. He learns through his suffering that the man in the mirror has limits, but God has no limits. What a beautiful reminder when we are walking through difficult times. God brings beauty from ashes. He uses our pain and suffering to strengthen our faith. To bring us into submission to His kingdom and authority so that He can unleash His power in our life. To set an example for others who are walking through their own heart aches of life. To save the lost and further advance the kingdom of God.
Bring on that new body. I’m all in. Even if… Even when… Are you?
Friends, I am in no way trying to undermine or minimize the pain and hurt you may be walking through. I have been walking through some devastation and heartbreak myself. What I can tell you is: If you will surrender at the feet of Jesus, he will draw you in. He will provide you a safe place to rest, and He will bring beauty from your ashes. He will go before you and make a way. He sees you. He knows your hurt and He is working it all out for your good.
Father God,
As “Mr. Sun” begins to rise over this new day, my prayer is that you would bring rest to the weary, and hope to the hopeless. That you would remind them of your love for them. That you would remind them that they are never alone even when they are lonely. That you would bring glory, honor, healing and restoration to their life. Remind them that they are created in your image, and that you know every hair on their head. That they are valuable. That whatever they have done or has been done to them is never too big for you to handle. Thank you for your grace and mercy. Thank you for your promise of healing and perfect peace for all eternity. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
In Jesus Name! Amen