sharing + suffering

I am stressed.

Well okay not today…but I was last week! (terribly sorry for my lack of post last Monday…on the off chance that someone noticed I didn’t post which no one probably did, but regardless, am sorry!)

So I’m in my last two weeks of my freshman year of college (which is crazy and I can’t wait to write a whole post reflecting on all that the Lord has done in my life this year, but I’ll save that for another week) and things got a little stressful last week. The kind of stress that throws off your eating schedule (and if you know me, you know that NOTHING messes with my consumption of food…nothing). HIGH STRESS PEOPLE. Along with that, I was just feeling really overwhelmed emotionally. I felt very out of control and out of my element. In an effort to find peace and comfort, I began looking to the Word to remind me that school is not everything.

[ Consider this your official reminder that school is not everything. Grades are not eternal. Your degree does not define who you are. You are loved by the Creator of the universe and there is nothing scholastic about that. So count your blessings that failing a test does not mean you have failed the One who loves you and made you. ]

There’s an Arab proverb that says “Sunshine all the time makes a desert.”

This got me thinking about one of my favorite passages in the Bible, Romans chapter 8. (read the whole thing--the end will blow your mind) I think this is one of the most powerful chapters in the entire Bible, and I always read it when I am feeling overcome by things of this world. The power and gravity of its truth simply never stops amazing me.

This is one of the most humbling reminders of this chapter:

“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

We know that by our salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, we share in his glory in having victory over death and the Evil One. What a reason to rejoice! However, the Bible never once tells us that our journey on earth as Christians will be an easy on. In fact, this passage tells us that in order to share in his glory, we must also share in his suffering.

I know I seem to touch on this a lot in my posts lately, but do you wake up every day with the full realization of what the Lord has done for you so that you may be free? That the holy Son of God came to earth and was persecuted so that we may live? If you truly bear in mind the gravity of his sacrifice every day, you will become much more acquainted with the fact that we, too, are subject to persecution and suffering for the cross. We, as his followers, are called to follow him every day in all that we do. And sometimes, that brings suffering.

Now, I’m not saying that the stress I experienced last week was “suffering for the kingdom” by any means. But think about times in which following Christ has caused you, or part of you to suffer. Maybe you felt called to end a relationship with someone because it kept you outside of God’s will. Maybe you felt called to walk away from a job or opportunity because the Lord told you it could be bad for you and your future. Maybe you have been struggling with a temptation that the Devil will not let you be free from. Maybe the circumstances are more serious, and you are being persecuted because of your faith at school, in your workplace, or among friends. I’m sure many of you have read stories about Christians in places around the world who are being tortured and even killed because of their faith. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Shad, Rac, and Benny for all you Veggie Tales watchers out there) were thrown into a furnace for choosing to worship God over King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel was arrested and thrown into a lion’s den for choosing to pray to God when the government officials told him not to. (Daniel and Job are two great books of the Bible to read if you need reminders that God is faithful in times of great suffering!)  Everyone made fun of Noah for building an arc when God called him to. And not to mention Jesus Christ, the perfect human being, was killed because of his service and love for people as commanded by God. Do not read the Bible with rose colored lenses, people—this life is not intended to always be full of sunshine.

But if it were not for the rain—for the suffering and hardships that we encounter along our path—how would we know the sweetness of the Son? If everything goes our way, how can we ever truly appreciate the goodness of God? How would we know the faithfulness of his Word, which tells us that nothing here can compare to the glory of his Kingdom?

The sufferings throughout Biblical history and in our own lives are not evidence of an absence of God’s goodness, but rather a testament to the fact that even when the rain is pouring, He is still good.

“…weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning.”

-Psalm 30:5

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

–Deuteronomy 31:6

In times of suffering, we are not called to cower from the world to to lose our faith, but rather to hold on to the Truth that he is faithful. We share in temporary suffering that we may also share in his eternal glory.

No matter what you are facing, be it school or work or serious persecution, you can do it because you do not have to do it alone. God is with us: in the classroom, in the workplace, on the mission field, in the furnace, in the lion’s den, out in the deep waters. Everywhere we go. We are loved by True Love himself. You are clothed in the armor of the Most High. You are equipped with everything you need to face what you are enduring today. Do not lose sight of his will for you and the Kingdom. We obey because we love him, and we hope for the day when suffering will end, and the sun (the SON) will shine forever.

God, thank you for humbling me with your Word. Thank you for the reminder that it may not be easy, but we are never alone. You hold us with your right hand and you direct our every footstep. We must trust that you will not lead us anywhere that you don’t also go. I love you and I am so thankful to share in your glory and suffering.