I was thinking about all the struggles that we as human beings have to endure in this life, and a saying came to mind. Leo Tolstoy said, “If you feel pain, you’re alive. If you feel other people’s pain, you’re a human being.” Each of us must indeed endure this life’s many pains and struggles. As they also say, “It is a fact of life.” You cannot escape pain or suffering.
Yet, God calls you not to merely suffer without purpose but to grow through it to receive the ability to help others see His will for them as well. If you are willing to go the distance and fight for what is right, you will become victorious over every hurdle laid across your path to cause you to turn back. You will find that it was good to struggle. If you follow Jesus, it will no longer be about you, but your focus will shift to empathizing with others and reaching out to them to guide them onto God’s path so that He may embrace them in His love.
What pains, sufferings, and hardships are you going through right now? It will be ok. You will make it through these difficulties just as you have endured in the past. You may or may not know it, but God allows you to suffer and struggle to turn your attention to Him. He has a purpose for your pain, and by allowing you to struggle, He calls you to turn from your wayward path to follow the good way He has laid in front of you.
Just as a good father will reach out and stop the hand of his child from burning their hand on a hot stove, even to the point of scolding or a painful slap on the hand to show the child not to touch, God stops His children from a destructive path through discipline. He desires to show you the right way to go. Hence, pain and suffering are necessary since most of us, oftentimes, do not pay attention to Him without it.
Hebrews 12:3-7 shows that God disciplines you because He loves you, which is why He allows suffering in your life. God is your Heavenly Father, and He loves you so much that He will do anything necessary to turn you away from your sin.
Consider Him (Jesus) who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.” “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?”
You may deny being sinful, but God says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God,” which is pure and perfect sinlessness. All have lied, stolen, hated others, lusted, disobeyed their parents, and have not loved and obeyed God every moment of their life. Jesus said, “What is in the heart, the mouth speaks.” Contrary to what you may believe about yourself or feel, it is for your good and growth to suffer that you may realize your own sin. Otherwise, would you ever truly grow from the ways of a child to maturity?
But let’s be honest, it is difficult to change. It is challenging to endure this life’s struggles and move from your old and comfortable ways. But God wants you to learn what is right and change to be more pure in His sight. The way of living that God commands you to live. Just take a moment and remember your struggles. Tell me if living according to God’s ways is easy or difficult. The answer to the question, “Is it difficult to follow the path God gave you,” is a resounding Yes! Yet worth every tear.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4
Remember the promises that Jesus told His disciples. The suffering you must endure to follow and obey God will be incredibly challenging, yet it comes with great rewards.
Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Matthew 5:3-11
Turn from your worries about how things are right now and the fears of what might happen in the future. Turn your face to look at Jesus and trust Him. Have faith in Him that He knows what He is doing. He made all things for His glory, which includes you and your life. He has chosen you for a mission only you could fulfill and designed a perfect path so that you may succeed in life for good, not for your glory but His.
Determine in your heart today to do His will and focus on His ways. Yes, it is incredibly difficult, even if no one seems to be on your side. If you follow Jesus, He is on your side. Who else really matters if the Creator of the Universe calls you His beloved child and His good and faithful servant? Jesus is the Rock, the Cornerstone of the Church, and reminds you to rejoice because He has good things waiting for you.
Jesus said, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:12
Finally, remember Apostle Paul’s mindset and follow in his footsteps of faith, trust, and hope in what Jesus had for him. Jesus has great plans for your life and eternity as well.
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Philippians 3:13-16
The Soul Sower 