SUFFERING EMBRACED

Ironically, this has been a tremendously peaceful and beautiful season. When someone is suffering, we imagine pain, discomfort, stress, and agony. We imagine these compounding to infinity until we are either broken and defeated, or rescued and healed. It has not been that at all. Although that form of suffering exists in the world, I would argue that there is another type of suffering that should be acknowledged and, dare I say, embraced.

To be sure, physical suffering and isolation for the Gospel will bear fruit greater than we can ever imagine. It is impossible to even comprehend what it will feel like to cast our crowns received for martyrdom before the throne, let alone hearing Jesus thank us for baring such a burden. I differentiate what I am talking about from this suffering that is brought on by persecution and want to speak to how God has allowed a different type of suffering to grow in our lives to propel us to new heights of holiness on this earth. 

Before I continue, I also want to point out that we simply cannot currently, or probably ever, comprehend the importance of becoming the holiest versions of ourselves before crossing into eternity (a term I think is weird, as eternity has already begun). It feels weird to think that there is a chance it can impact how we spend the rest of our days in His presence. I don't mean that what we do on earth (assuming we leave here pursuing the Lord) will have a negative impact in Heaven, but what if the holier we live now changes and creates a potentially better eternity than what is already prepared? Just food for thought.

In regards to holiness, I believe there are only two ways to increase. The first is the most obvious of all: spend as much time with Father God as possible. The second: attend a lot of funerals.

Before you believe me to be a crazy person, let me clarify that I do not mean literal funerals. I am talking about personal funerals (pride, desire, habits, expectations) that vary in nature and size. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it best, "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die." Said differently, when Jesus asks you to follow Him, He is expecting that something will be let go and/or die. But what is dying, and to what end? When Jesus calls us, the first thing that should die is whatever is holding us back from fully responding as His disciple. Any barrier to discipleship is Heaven's "public enemy number one". Once the barrier is buried, a process begins that accumulates to holiness on earth only attained through one thing that a lot of us find uncomfortable: suffering.

Every time we embrace suffering, something inside of us dies. This death and funeral is a response created only through obedience. Obedience, hand in hand with faith, produces a supernatural trigger that propels us to produce fruit that we never thought possible. It goes like this: Jesus calls, we obey (having faith or not is arguably not relevant here), grace empowers us to obey and push past the suffering, producing faith (more if it already existed), a death occurs, a funeral takes place, an inheritance is received (holiness), and the process repeats. This process cannot be void of Jesus, or else it is the law. This process cannot be void of obedience, or we are wishful thinkers waiting for something miraculous. Lastly, this process cannot be void of suffering, or nothing happens.

Suffering, which has historically been synonymous with "passion" in regards to Jesus, is an art form that has arguably been lost. A pendulum swing has taken place where, as Christians, we are at risk of avoiding pain and suffering believing it to be God's will that we always feel good. Let's get one thing straight, suffering and pain does not equal "God is not good". God is good, no matter what. God is less concerned about us being happy and healthy than He is us being made holy (although, I would argue that He would prefer all of the above). God's will is to be connected to us, His children, by any means necessary. He is serious about this. So serious that He sent His one and only Son to die for us. Jesus suffered greater than anything has ever suffered, and will ever suffer. That Suffering produced the only way for us to reconnect with our Divine Dad. That Suffering is what allows us to experience any lasting holiness. Any suffering we experience is but a glimpse of what Jesus Suffered, yet He has allowed us to partake of this so we can experience something greater. Suffering may last for your whole life on earth, but it won't last for one second in eternity. I would make that trade any day.