A friend of mine, Karen, recently told me she is doing a study of First Peter by Kyle Idleman. I haven't seen the study, but she told me that he said something to the extent of, "God will not waste suffering. It will result in something beautiful... salvation for our souls." Isn't that a wonderful thought? None of our suffering is for nothing. God has a plan and a purpose for it.
I love the hope that is found in chapter one:
"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance - an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day when Christ Jesus is revealed to the whole world" (1 Peter 1:3 - 7 - emphasis mine).
What glorious hope we have in Christ! Though we endure many trials for a little while, great joy is coming! This life isn't the end. I recently heard someone say that for the believers in Christ, this life is the worst it will get. We have heaven to look forward to, where there will be no more weeping, no more suffering, no more sickness, no more pain. And there is joy to be found here in the midst of our suffering through the power of the Holy Spirit.
To paraphrase my friend, Karen, we can take our times of suffering and turn them into times of being holy (set apart). This results in joy. We don't have to be happy with our trials, but through our periods of suffering, we can seek the Lord and His wisdom, His ways, His thoughts. And that creates a beautiful picture for the rest of the world of perseverance, humility, character, strength. People will see Jesus in us.
I honestly don't know how people can get through life without Jesus. Life is hard for everyone. We all must endure hardships, suffering, sickness, loss, tears, grief. When we know Christ, these trials serve to strengthen us and draw us closer to God. There is so much joy and peace in God's presence, even when life sucks. James 4:8 says, "Come close to God, and He will come close to you." What a promise! Can there be anything better than being close to God, than being in the presence of our heavenly Father who loves us more than anything?!
So yes, sometimes life really sucks. But when we use those hard times to lean into God, He can use them to teach us, to shape us into people who reflect Jesus. It's not easy to rejoice in suffering, but it's amazing the joy that comes when we persevere through it and just trust that God knows what He's doing. "Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning" (Psalm 30:5b).
