Suffering has been on my heart a lot lately. There are so many around me that are hurting and desperately searching for something, anything, to ease the pain. This week in my internship, my job, and my normal life as a college student I spoke with individuals that are facing mountains and are terrified that this is it. This hurt, this pain, is all that life has to offer and that nothing could possibly ease that pain.
This week I was frustrated with feeling helpless and then I came across this scripture verse
“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3-4
Suffering is not fun, obviously, it isn’t something we hope for or wish upon others, but it is necessary. God does not call us to experience suffering for kicks and giggles. We are called to walk through darkness to bring glory to His name. When we walk through suffering with perseverance and joy that can only be attributed to our Heavenly Father, we scream to the world that our God is bigger than the pain of this world.
The best part of this whole thing? Jesus already won. For believers, the days of darkness and suffering are temporary.
“Our sorrows are all, like ourselves, mortal. There are no immortal sorrows for immortal souls. They come, but blessed be God, they also go. Like birds of the air, they fly over our heads. But they cannot make their abode in our souls. We suffer today, but we shall rejoice tomorrow.”
– Charles Spurgeon
Waiting at the end of our suffering is glory beyond compare. Trusting Christ through the difficult road that we are called to walk will be worth it one hundred times over.
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18
We live in a broken world full of suffering and hurt but that’s not the result, its simply part of the journey that God has called us to.
