You know, sometimes I think we suffer.
Sometimes I think we need to suffer.
For the sake of making our point.
For the sake of emphasizing the fact that we actually believe in something.
Think about any athlete.
Do you think they enjoy getting tortured by their coaches for hours a day, every day of the week? Do you think they enjoy getting screamed at? Do you think they desire the ache in their bodies after a grueling game?
Maybe some do in a sick, twisted, sort of way.
But I think more often than not, it’s just a testament.
A testament to their coaches, teammates, parents, friends, maybe even just to themselves of the dedication they are willing to make for the sake of winning.
You see, if a player never practiced, never had to work at it, never had to give all the blood, sweat, and tears that everyone else did, and he still won, I’m not sure we’d all cheer for him.
Because that player didn’t have to fight for anything.
He didn’t have to stand in the face of conflict and beat it.
He didn’t have to sacrifice anything.
He didn’t suffer.
Maybe we’d think he didn’t even like his sport.
Maybe we’d think he just played simply to get the money and run.
But what about the players who worked tirelessly for years.
Day after day after day after day
After day after day after day.
They’ve felt the ache in their legs, sweat dripping down their faces.
Maybe they’ve thrown up a time or two in practice.
Broken bones.
Collapsed in Exhaustion.
I don’t think there’d be a doubt in our minds if they loved their sport.
They sacrificed everything for it.
That’s just like the gospel.
We have to suffer.
Suffering shows people that we mean what we say.
Suffering shows people that whatever we want to share is worth something to us.
If the WR was a cushy vacation where we stayed in 5-star hotels and ate steak for dinner every day, I think the whole world would sign up.
I also think not many people would care what we had to say.
But simply the fact that we have left our hot showers, air conditioned cars, extensive wardrobes, and loved ones behind lets others around the world know that we obviously believe in something.
We believe in something enough to say goodbye to all of these things.
And that alone makes them listen.
You see, if it weren’t for our sufferings, no one would care.
No one would care that we believe in Jesus.
No one would care that we believe we can’t earn our salvation.
No one would care that we serve a God who came to redeem.
No one would care.
It is, then, our sufferings that display to others the intensity in which we believe the gospel is true. The intensity in which we believe that we have the best news they will ever hear.
I believe the truth of the gospel more than anything else on this earth. More than I believe that the sun rill rise tomorrow morning. More than I believe that my mommy and daddy love me. More than I believe that my hair is blonde and my eyes are hazel. And so, I will suffer. I might not like it. I might even hate it. But I will suffer, because to the degree I sacrifice is directly related to the degree in which I believe its truth.
How intensely are you suffering?
