The Beauty in Suffering

You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials…

1 Peter 1:6 CSB

            Have you ever tripped and fallen, or stumbled while walking, or even stumbled over something for no reason? If your friends or family were around did they laugh and point before they helped you up? Once while fishing in the Yellowstone River with my brother and husband, I fell out of the boat, sunk, and stumbled getting up. And what did they do? They laughed. They pointed and jeered. No, they did not help me up. To this day, this suffering in the cold river, during a rainstorm, fully clothed is a tale still laughed at. But I am here to tell you, God will never laugh during your suffering and stumbling but He will give you the joy to get through it!

            We all have times of strain and toil in our lives. We all encounter times when we fall into the water and no one helps us up or there is no way to help us recover. Suffering in life is real and can come often. Trials may vary from persecution, loss, uncertainty, or even small frustrations. They may be illness, heartbreak, and uncertainty but in Christ, the joy He gives, always outweighs the heaviness of life’s burdens. 1 Peter 1:6 tells us we will suffer grief in a lot of different ways. But Peter’s good news says when we rejoice in these ordeals, we will be refined. 1 Peter 1:7 continues, “so that the proven character of your faith – more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire – may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (CSB). These fires will refine our faith and our faith is what we have that will last forever.

            Recently when I was dealing with some health struggles, loss of a family member and issues with a grandchild, it was on my heart to really work on giving these issues over to God and not take them back. I knew He would be in control of the outcome and there was really nothing I could do to make them end differently. I asked the doctors about the cause of the health concern. Could it be brought on by large amounts of Chemo? Might it be a side effect of radiation? Each one expressed there was no way to know what may have caused it and I realized, what did it really matter? Whatever was happening was going to happen, or it was going to be healed by my amazing God.

            If we choose to be devoted to our struggles, fighting and toiling with them, and sometimes even lying and cheating along with them, we are really trying to control the outcome. When we fling the whole fierce energy of our nature into first gripping and then holding it; it then possesses us; we do not possess it. We are putting our faith into the problem and not on the One who will redeem it.

            Our faith in Jesus Christ is more valuable than anything we can hold onto on Earth. This is why our faith is more valuable than gold which is perishable. Our faith during hardships is refined and this faith will go with us into eternity. This is why we should not give our energy to holding on to suffering rather we should let God take care of it as He promises. The thing we need to hold tightly to is our faith and let that faith regulate the way we deal with troubles. We won’t take any of these troubles into eternity either, but we will take our faith giving praise and glory to the God who laid out His perfect plan in our lives.

            Here’s the truth that enables us to rejoice: trials do not define us. Instead, they give us the opportunity to grow in faith, patience, and perseverance. And in each we will be able to have inexpressible joy. We will not have the absence of hardship but we will have the presence of God’s peace and grace in the middle of the storm. When we fully believe in Jesus, we will have this unshakable, glorious joy that flows from knowing your past is redeemed, your present is secure, and your future is glorious. This joy will sustain us in the trial and lift our hearts above every fear and our faith will grow knowing we have eternal salvation in Christ.

A Prayer for Today

Lord Jesus, thank You for the perfect plan You have created for my life. Thank You for being a redeemer who will take control over every hardship I might encounter. Help me to increase my faith in times of suffering by looking to You, turning each event over to You, and rejoicing in the goodness You promise.

Today’s Challenge

What is happening in your life that you need to turn over to God and not take back? Have you accepted, in faith, that He will walk with you through your struggle and give you inexpressible joy in it? If not, ask Jesus to be in control of your suffering and bring you the joy you so desperately need; then have faith He will take care of it all.