A Cure For The Pain?

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 5:1-5

The idea that we should rejoice when we suffer is a hard one to wrap your mind around.  Imagine your dearest friend has just been dealt a deep, deep lose and is suffering greatly. Do you go to them and say, “cheer up?” No, of course not. And here, in this passage, Paul is not telling us to “cheer up.” Later in the letter, he says that we should  rejoice with those who rejoice and to mourn with those who mourn -- a theology of presence that meets people where they are. So, how can we imagine rejoicing when we suffer?

The quick answer is that there is no quick answer. Rejoicing in suffering is not a switch that you mentally flip on and off. It is, like all of transformation, a process. That said, the reality is that most often it is only when things are going bad that we gain perspective on what is important. When we suffer, our souls cry out in search of hope, and as we cry out we meet God in ways that may not possible without that soul cry. We suffer, we cry out for God, we taste and see his goodness -- even in the midst of the unexplained and unwanted pain. And though he is there, we still suffer, but in his presence we receive the strength to persevere as our character is shaped more into one resembling his, one that always hopes even as it grieves. 

• Are you currently in a season of suffering? 
• Have you been in one in the past? 
• Or, have you been graced so far to avoid such a season? 
• In all of these, where do you find God? 

God is there, rejoicing with you when you rejoice, mourning with you when you mourn, offering hope, and the peace that transcends our ability to understand it. 

Peace, hope and love

Doug