Tag Archives: Suffering

Don’t waste your suffering

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John Piper wrote a great little book called Don’t Waste Your Life, followed later by Don’t Waste Your Cancer. Both books spoke to me – before and during my experience with cancer. The premise is simple. Life is short so live it intentionally and live it well. Oh I know, when your journey is filled with suffering of all kinds, life seems to move slowly, like it may never end. A year and a half after achieving remission from cancer and after my stem cell transplant, I’m still asking my doctors, “When will I get stronger?” But even in the midst of all kinds of trials, life really is short compared to the eternity of time that awaits us. So, how do we respond?

 

“Don’t waste your suffering.”

 

Suffering seems to be wasteful in itself; it robs us of comfort, patience, strength, productivity, and so much more. Suffering leads us to experience indignities that we are sure are unnecessary to the human challenge. But suffering also is a worker, accomplishing in us that which we cannot accomplish ourselves. Consider Paul’s story:

 

“Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.”  2 Corinthians 11:24-27

 

Whipped, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, threatened by robbers and countrymen, surrounded by danger all around, sleepless, hungry, cold, and naked… I think you will agree that Paul knew suffering.  If anyone had reason to complain, it was him. But how did he perceive this tremendous distress?

 

” For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Corinthians 4:17

 

He considers his trials light and momentary, insignificant compared to what? Compared to what they are achieving right now for eternal glory. Our sufferings are at work to purify us and build us up, even as we are sure they are only working to tear us down. And they are working also to build others up too:

 

“Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.” Philippians 1:12

 

None of us like to suffer and we don’t like watching others suffer. But in the midst of these, we are called to pray (for ourselves and others) and to stand firm. Don’t waste your suffering, knowing that our loving God will not waste an ounce of the pain you give to Him.

 

 

Patience – Perseverance – Prayer

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We all want to be patient, but we want it right now! Folks have probably warned you, “Don’t pray for patience because God will give you trials to bring it about!” Trials can be an effective way to bring us to consider patience, but how many times in your life do they bring grumbling and resentment instead?

 

The truth is, our life was not designed to be one of self-indulgence and comfort. This short span on earth, relative to all eternity, is full of trials. Read through the New Testament and find that every book  deals with some aspect of trials, suffering, or other woes! Beyond just a learning experience, it is part of our call to follow Jesus:  “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” 1 Peter 2:21

 

But that doesn’t leave us to despair, but to hope, because when we are squeezed by all sorts of trials, it brings the opportunity for God’s power to be revealed in us. That is James’ encouragement to us in chapter five. We’re called to be patient. Not just to wait until we get what we want, but to be patient for the Lord’s coming, when our trials and sorrows end.

 

We’re called to patient with each other. It is how we express our love to God Himself. Jesus said our purpose in life is to love God and love others, that others will know we are His disciples if we love one another.  And so James confirms this: “Don’t grumble against one another.”

 

Patience and perseverance are twin sisters. We can persevere because we practice patience. Likewise persevering helps us to be patient – with ourselves and with others.  Perseverance keeps on loving, keeps on hoping, keeps on waiting with expectation. Hope is for the future but faith is revealed in the moment. Perseverance reflects our real faith.

 

Where do we get such a persevering, patient faith?  We pray. If your prayer seems like a waste of time or a mundane routine to be endured, don’t believe it. The prayer of one fully committed to God, is effective. Ask for wisdom, strength, and courage to draw closer to Him so you can persevere. He will show you the way, one trial at a time, one moment at a time.  It’s a daily cycle: pursue patience, perseverance, and effective prayer.

 

“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” James 5:7-11 (excerpts)

Treasured joy

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One of the treasures that perhaps everyone seeks is that of deeper and lasting joy. But a deeper joy requires a deeper life. A.W. Tozer (in his book Keys To The Deeper Life) said the deeper life only seems deep because the average life is so shallow. Ouch. Have you ever noticed that when real truth shines into our lives that it reveals something uncomfortable?

I suppose our lives are like a community swimming pool, having both shallow and deep parts. If we want to enjoy the deeper joys of life we have to spend more time in the deep end. Marcia and I were talking tonight how sometimes it takes suffering through some crisis to push us into the deep end of the pool. It is difficulty that wake us up and allows us to focus on what is truly important.

Years ago, my friend Norm was dying of cancer. During a more resilient phase he spoke before the church. He said sincerely that he had fallen ‘asleep’ spiritually, and then said that if being healed meant he would fall back ‘asleep’ he would rather have the cancer because it had drawn him closer to God. You know what is like to get sleepy and start to nod off. You are still cognizant of what is going around, but everything starts to lose focus. That physical phenomenon happens to us spiritually and relationally too. It is easy to drift away, only partially focused on our most prized ambitions and relationships.

What price would you pay to always “stay awake?” Would you embrace suffering with more joy and wish to keep it if being healed meant we would drift farther away from God and others you love?

It seems to me we too easily pray away suffering as if we have this genie that exists solely to make our life more comfortable and luxurious. There is nothing wrong with comfort, unless it causes us to drift away from our pursuit of Godly ambitions.

We also talked tonight about the joy of contentment (Phil 4:11-13) that comes with suffering. Not to glorify the act of suffering, but to glorify God who shows us the way to endure suffering. And not only endure but to thrive in the process.

What are you willing to change in your life to find the treasure of deeper and lasting joy?

His Suffering – Our Comfort?

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In one of the early scenes of the 1953 film, I Beheld His Glory, the Roman Centurion who was so moved by the brutal torture and crucifixion of Jesus meets with others to tell them the news.

Centurion: Jesus was crucified.
Others: No! Tell us everything.
Centurion: (inviting them to a sitting area) Alright. Shall we make ourselves comfortable?

It was a brief, poorly crafted line of script that makes an absurd leap from Jesus’ crucifixion to our comfort. I’m sure it wasn’t intended to convey any belief statement. But I wonder how often we make the same absurd leap when we acknowledge, even agree to follow Jesus…but then go on living ordinary lives in the pursuit of our personal comforts and pleasures, mindless of His presence.

I’m not advocating a return to sack cloth and ashes. But how should one life be lived in response to such a free gift of grace that Jesus offers? And especially with regard to the unspeakable price He had to pay to provide us with that gift?

Jesus came to pay a debt He didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay. But we do have a choice to make (many times) each day:

I can focus on the pursuit of my comfort and pleasure.
I can focus on the pursuit of His sustaining presence in my life.

He desires more than you can imagine to just spending time with you.

Shall we make ourselves comfortable?
Or shall we pursue the adventure to which we are called?
What changes do I need to make in my life in response to this?

“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps.”
1 Peter 2:21

Why This Leukemia Is A Win-Win Situation

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I am reading a book about one man’s experience with Leukemia. His words (distraught, fearful, nerve-wracking, dreadful, tragic, horrible) seem so strange to us in our journey. I fully understand how each person’s journey is unique to them, and also how extremely blessed I am in my situation. I have to remind myself that my body is battling a deadly disease because apart from being tired most the time I have no real suffering.

Even though we don’t yet have any solid prognostic information, we are not naive to the “statistics.” But we have no fear because our great God is not ruled by statistics. And besides, circumstances don’t have any hold on faith. Honestly, we have had only two things bring on tears:
1. The news that our move to pursue full time mission work in Bolivia is off the table for the foreseeable future until I am fully well.
2. When the body is so physically exhausted the emotional storm walls are easily and unexplainably breached, resulting in “tears without sadness.”

So why do I consider Leukemia to be a win-win situation? Let me paraphrase some basic ‘livable’ truths we hold to be ‘self-evident’:
1. Live or die, we belong to the Lord. Romans 14:8 (A life verse)
2. To live is Christ, to die is gain. Philippians 1:20-21
3. This present ‘suffering’ is not worth comparing to what the future holds. Romans 8:18
4. I believe God will save me from this fire. But even if He doesn’t, He will always be my One True God. Daniel 3:16-18
5. This light and momentary struggle is producing good things. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
6. God’s power is strongest in my weakness. 2 Corinthians 13:9-10
7. When something dies (part of my nature or myself) it bears fruit. John 12:24-26
8. What I am striving for, Jesus has already accomplished. Philippians 3:12
9. All things work for good for those who love God. Romans 8:28
10. Through Jesus we are more than conquerors. Romans 8:37-39.

I get it that some folks will think this sounds “churchy” or unrealistic. I also am aware of how imperfectly I live out these truths on a day to day basis. When something is true it isn’t changed by what we believe. But we  are changed by the truth we believe.

Sometimes Jesus calms the storm. Sometimes He calms the sailor in the midst of the storm. Either way, He is the only one with power to bring about true peace.