I thought it would look different –
This suffering.
I thought I’d be ready.
I thought I’d embrace it piously.
But no –
It came unexpectedly,
Cutting into my world
With talons of fear and confusion.
This suffering
Didn’t bring a jail cell
Or a physical attack
Or a sudden hurricane.
But it still brought
Loss, tears, separation,
Anxiety, grief,
And loneliness.
It brought
Loss of control
Such as I’ve never felt,
And uncertainty
Such as I’ve never known.
And Peter says,
“For to this
You have been called.”
Yes, you.
Why?
“Because Christ
Also suffered for you,
Leaving you an example.”
Christ –
His sufferings were far worse.
Deeper. To the death.
For me. And you.
So that when we
Are called to suffer –
We can endure it –
Because His life gives hope.
Peter tells us
“Don’t be surprised.”
Instead – rejoice.
“Rejoice that you
Share in His sufferings.”
Rejoice?
It seems insensitive
To tell a grieving
And suffering world
To rejoice.
And yet.
We suffer for a reason.
To make us His
Image-bearers.
To bring hope
In the midst of loss.
To bring comfort
In the midst of grief.
When we
“entrust our souls
To a faithful Creator
While doing good,”
We are acknowledging
Who holds
All our days
In His hands.
We are seeing
The pain and brokenness
And we are
Walking into it with faith.
Faith in the Almighty –
Faith in His power,
Faith in His promises of eternity,
Faith in His healing.
This suffering –
Oh, how it hurts.
How it aches
Down to our very bones.
But how it points us
Back to our need
For the Redeemer
Who can heal the deepest ache.
This suffering
Won’t last forever.
But the hope and faith
Forged in the midst of it
Most certainly will.
May it burn brighter
Through the darkest of nights.
Photo by Alexander Montes on Unsplash.