Overcoming SufferingSample

Suffering Happens

This week, we will be talking about suffering.

Now, we all know that suffering exists; I doubt any of us are blind to that.

The problem comes when suffering happens to us.

I am concerned when my brother in Christ gets a scary health diagnosis. I feel for him when he is struggling financially. I hate it when he loses his job.

But I’ll tell you—when these things happen to me, I feel a whole deeper level of concern.

“Why is this happening to me?” I ask. By that, I must be assuming that surely I deserve to be excused from whatever suffering I am experiencing.

I can wonder, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”

I imagine that, in those moments, Jesus says to me, “That’s a really good question. I have two more. 1) Why do good things happen to good people?; and 2) What do you mean by 'good people?’”

Of course, I mean me! I am “good people.” I don’t kick dogs. I obey traffic laws. I pay my taxes. Of course I’m “good people.”

The reality, though, is something quite different.

The reality is that I am a sinner. The Bible says that all have sinned (Romans 3:9-23).

That includes me.

I deserve all kinds of punishment. This is what sin deserves.

When humans sinned, human suffering entered the world (Genesis 3:19-19). The whole thing got broken. And because of that brokenness, there is suffering. Everyone suffers.

It’s good to remember this in our seasons of struggle. It’s not personal just to us. Welcome to the human race. It’s the tragic price of admission.

Praise God that Jesus is with us in our suffering.

And, as we shall see this week, suffering can actually produce some very spectacular things in our lives if we lean into Jesus in the midst of our pain.

Prayer: Dear Lord, remind me that I am no different than anyone else. My suffering is not so unique that I stand alone in the crowd. Remind me that while this world may bring suffering, You have overcome it. Help me not to be a whiner or a complainer. Give me the grace to be a man who suffers well. Amen.

Reflection: What are you struggling with these days? How can you look beyond your own suffering to see your brothers' suffering and come alongside them in comfort and strength?