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Suffering,
it’s a pretty ugly word isn’t it? Just the mere thought of the word can bring
about suffering to some.
It’s not
hard to find, is non-discriminatory, knows no boundaries, can come-on suddenly
or take time to develop, and can be short or long-term.
And there
are three things that are pretty consistent with suffering:
- You’ll experience some form of suffering during your lifetime
- You’ll know others who’ll experience suffering
- Satan loves it and hates it when we suffer because for some suffering takes them further from God while others who experience suffering draw nearer to Him
The many faces of suffering
Suffering,
like the many people it inflicts, has many faces and comes in all kinds of
shapes, sizes, and colors, including:
- Physical illness and/or disabilities
- Mental illness and/or disabilities
- Death
- Disaster
- Divorce
- Job loss
- War
- Violence
- Not receiving any love
- Not being cared for
- Hurtful words
- Bullying
- Racism
- Hunger
- Homelessness
- Addictions
And the list
goes on-and-on.
It seems to
me as time goes by the suffering taking place throughout the world only
escalates, with no hope whatsoever for many.
As each day
ends and a new one begins we draw ever closer to the end of time. The earth is
a planet and all planets eventually die. This is fact and one of the very few
things that most evolutionists and religious authorities alike can agree on!
And with any
death comes suffering of some sort and the earth and its inhabitants are no
different.
If you’re a
Christian then you believe in Revelations, which clearly tells us the suffering
we see taking place now is nothing compared to when Christ opens the scrolls.
But fear
not, for you see, suffering can actually bring about some good too!
What God’s word tells us about the
good side of suffering
You know it’s
been my experience through life, and especially lately, that God’s word is not
sometimes correct or usually right. No, I’ve come to realize that God’s word is
always spot-on and when I take heed to it, it never does me wrong.
But how
comforting it is to know that I can rely on God’s word to get me through my
seasons of suffering!
One of my
favorite passages in the bible talks of suffering, and for those who have faith
the three good things that can come about as a result of it:
“Therefore,
since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace
in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only
so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering
produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope
does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by
the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 1:1-5
Sounds comforting
to me!
I know that
if and when I’m suffering and stand firm in my faith than that suffering can
bring about:
- Perseverance
- Character
- Hope
And there we
have it, the three good things that can come from suffering…
If you
believe and have faith in God and Christ our Lord and Savior.
If you or
someone you know is experiencing any kind of suffering and would like to have
them prayed then by all means submit a prayer request, I’ll be more than happy
to pray for you or them.
God Bless
All!
Dana
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