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Suffering

                 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, (Philippians 1:29)

                This sounds really bad, almost sick in our day. Granted to suffer? That makes it sound like suffering is a good or noble thing. Then again, I’ve read recent calls that the rich should be required to give up more of their money, and the whites should accept humiliation for the sake of other races. We should all suffer a little for the sake of saving our environment. Teams or groups are often called upon to give up something (often money, but sometimes time or the safety of their bodies) for their team’s statistics or some good cause. There are people around the world and through history that we honor who have suffered for the name of Christ. And then, of course, there are the heroes in our stories, whom we venerate for having suffered great losses for the sake of love of someone or something. We treasure the stories and examples but shrink back when we think it’s our turn.

                It’s understandable. Very few like to suffer, and those few may have a certain sort of suffering that is acceptable to them, or may be in need of mental health intervention (or both.) The point of the verse isn’t that we’re to enjoy suffering, but to understand at suffering can be noble or heroic

                But there is a challenge for us. How do we determine whether we are suffering for Him, suffering for ourselves, or simply suffering? First, suffering doesn’t have to be for only one cause. If the book of Job teaches us anything, it teaches us that we may not know why we’re suffering. Job’s friends thought it was clear, but they were wrong. Appearances can be deceiving. But if we treat our suffering as being “for Him”  (not using a megaphone or stepping into the spotlight but resolutely, nobly, and righteously) it will turn our eyes toward Him instead of ourselves or our suffering.

                Recently, I skimmed a book about stopping overthinking. The author spent quite a bit of time discussing detachment. If we build our lives around our suffering, our suffering will become our god. But if we turn to God in our suffering and separate ourselves from it, God will be our God.and we can grow stronger and in Him in the midst of the suffering in ways we couldn’t if we didn’t suffer.

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