A portion of today's devotional was on the subject of suffering. The author makes the statement, "The amount of suffering and its distribution seems to be random and unfair. It outrages and bewilders us."
We all could make a long list of those we know who are suffering. My prayer list includes many who are suffering from loss, illness, depression, financial stress, and on and on. Some seem to suffer over and over, and sometimes quicker than one could recover from the last calamity. Anytime I begin to feel a little sorry for myself, I look around at those in my very midst who are deep in the abyss of pain and suffering.
I could do no better than the devotion author to explain why we suffer.
"Suffering is never good in itself, God is able to use it for good in a number of ways. God loves you. Your suffering is also God's suffering. He suffers alongside you. Yet he does not always simply remove suffering from your life; he sometimes uses the bad things that happen to bring about His good purposes."
As for myself, I can see how God has used a long period of suffering to change me. By my own suffering, I now have great empathy for those who suffer. Who can be a better witness to God's presence in our suffering than one who has felt it. I love the writer's reflection, "Your suffering is also God's suffering." A reminder that He understands the depths of our pain, but will also use that pain for His good purpose. I am who I am today, because of my suffering. It is a better version of who I once was.
SO, hold on, remember He is present in your suffering and uses all things for His good purpose. Our pain and suffering are not random and God is always not only aware, but suffering with us. He loves us--and understands our deepest pain. He will use that pain for our good and His good purpose.
"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
Knowing that God is right there with us in our suffering is the greatest source of comfort. May those times bring us closer to Him and transform us into people who have a deeper love for and understanding of others.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Lulu!
Our empathy grows exponentially with our own sufferings for those we see suffering!
DeleteBlessings, My Friend!
"Your suffering is also God's suffering." There is great comfort in that! He understands and He cares. He'll also take our ugly hurts and turn them into the beauty of transformed character traits within us and impacted lives around us. (Lord, help me be mindful!)
ReplyDeleteAMEN! I loved this when I read it also. So thankful for wise teachers in my life!
DeleteBlessings!