Suffering.
Romans 5:3-5: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
Suffering is hard, there’s no doubt about it. It’s easy to question why things happen or don’t happen. It’s easy to question why our friends betrayed us, or why someone we love got sick, or why we lost something important to us, or why a pet died too soon… the list goes on. This earth is full of evil, hardship, sickness, loss, sadness, and pain.
In the midst of suffering, it’s very difficult to see why we have to go through it. It often makes absolutely no sense, and we just want it to be over with. But, as Romans 5:3-5 says, suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope. Knowing this, we can rejoice in our hardships knowing that, even though it is difficult at the moment, that God is using it for a greater purpose. He is using it to build us up, to teach us a lesson, and to grow our faith in Him.
Having faith is often a lot easier whenever things are going good, right? “Life is working out, of course I trust God!” But… Do we trust Him whenever life isn’t so good? I definitely struggle with this, as I’m sure many of us do. But, as bad things have happened in life, I have learned to try to remind myself of this verse. Now, I don’t always remember it. And even if I do remember, sometimes I don’t totally believe it. Sometimes things just seem too bad to have any good come from them.
Sometimes after a difficult trial, we can look back and see why we had to go through it. It lead us to something much better than we could have imagined, and we are beyond grateful. Other times, however, we may never really have a good answer, or the tunnel may seem to never really end. But luckily, we don’t have to understand why things happen the way that they do, which is where faith comes in. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Philippians 4:7)
Lean not on your own understanding. Why? Because “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
We do not have to understand our suffering in order to have peace, because the peace of God transcends all understanding. As humans, we think that peace comes from understanding or having everything “under control,” when the exact opposite is true. When we trust God, even in the midst of suffering, and have faith in His perfect plan and timing, that is when we will find peace.
In my life, I’ve faced my own share of trials. I may be young, but the hardships of the world start pretty early on. Some known to others and some not, my sufferings have changed who I am as a person, which, looking back, was the entire point. My ability to persevere has increased. My character has changed. My hope has grown. Some trials still remain, and while I don’t understand why, I know that God works for the good of those who love Him. I know that my suffering is never for no reason, and that His plan is perfect. That is all I need to know.
So, if you take away anything from this little blog post, let it be these few points:
Trust God, no matter the circumstance. Good or bad, put your faith in Him, even if it’s just a mustard seed of faith.
Try to remember that suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope. It’s not always easy, but know that God is working for your good. You might understand the purpose afterwards, or you may not. Both are okay.
Understanding does not equal peace. In fact, surrender does. Not control.
Now, to end this, I want you to also understand that suffering. is. HARD. This post is not meant to tell you to “just be happy, because everything is great and wonderful and fine, and you’re not trusting God hard enough if you’re sad.” That’s simply not realistic. Hardship is hard. Suffering feels terrible. You might cry. You might feel angry. You might be confused. The human experience is the same for all of us, whether we admit it or not. We are not joyful 100% of the time. This post is simply to remind you to fix your eyes on the Lord, even when life is tough.
Stay faithful my friends.
Kenn ♡
