There’s that suffering again! It’s true that no one wants to suffer, but it’s also true that suffering is a part of the journey. But please know this: it is only part of journey. Suffering is meant to be but for a moment, in other words, temporary. There is more in store for your life than constant suffering. Don’t just sit in chaos because you believe that your life has been called to that place or choose to suffer because you think you deserve it.
Romans 8:18 reminds us that the suffering has an expiration date and that it won’t be compared to the glory that will be revealed to and in us. That helps, but I still wasn’t feeling the word “suffer,” so I went back to the definition of privilege, and there is was:
A right or immunity granted.
God has granted me spiritual immunity, so the suffering doesn’t prevent me from going through the fire, but it will prevent me from being burned or even smelling like smoke! (Daniel 3:19-27) Serving God is not only a choice, but it is a privilege that comes with more benefits than I can even count. (Remember, part of the first definition was “a peculiar benefit.”) And although I would not voluntarily choose suffering, I do know that it produces fruit in my life. According to Romans 3:3-5, suffering helps us to develop endurance, which helps us to develop strength of character, which develops our confident hope. It’s interesting to me that what started out as suffering leads not just to hope but to confident hope.
The Manna Chef 