What I discovered in my pain…

We’ve come to the final day of unpacking the parable of the ten virgins together (Matthew 25). Yesterday, we reflected on how the oil of intimacy with Jesus can’t be bought; it must be cultivated over time.

As I mentioned, prayer, worship, Bible study, or quiet time are essential ways to build this intimacy. But, sometimes life presents us with a unique opportunity to cultivate the oil of intimacy with Jesus, namely through suffering.

This is something I know all too well. Our son Zac passed away earlier this year. For almost 4.5 years, we cared for our precious boy with severe disabilities. Those years were incredibly hard—often overwhelming. Zac suffered a lot, and many times, we felt utterly helpless.

But in that pain, I discovered something profound: there is a sacred kind of closeness we find with Jesus when we learn to suffer with Him.

Jesus Himself is no stranger to suffering. The Bible says:

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a Man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem. – Isaiah 53:3 NIV

To suffer with Jesus means sharing your deepest pains and darkest secrets with Him. It means choosing to pray even when all you can do is rant. It means weeping in His presence and being honest about your feelings. Sometimes it means aiming your anger at God.

One person who modelled this well is Job. My wife Jenny wrote a beautiful reading plan about his story, and you can find it on our Jesus.net—Desi YouVersion Portal.

As long as we’re on this side of heaven, we have the privilege to learn to suffer with Jesus, because when we get to heaven, He will wipe every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4).

What are you suffering?

Are you willing to invite Jesus into that pain?

He’s already waiting.

Hey! You are a Chamatkar.

Cameron Mendes