Suffering UGH!

If you live in this world, you are no doubt walking alongside people who are in the midst of suffering.

Maybe you are suffering.

I was a fairy tale girl. I would focus on the happy ending and fail to register the pain suffered beforehand. My Mother tried to prepare me that life is hard. I think she thought the truth would send her Fairytale girl for a loop.

From the time I was young the desire for God's Eternity was longed for and recognized in my heart. 
In ways I cannot wait for the other side where there will be
  no more pain, 
tears 
or suffering.

As I walk alongside others who are in the grip of pain. My soul cries out for the promises of 
Eternity,
yet also for wisdom in how to encourage and support

those I walk with as they face their challenges.

As I was doing some reading the other day I came across an update from the band Big Daddy Weave. Their vocalist/bassist Jason Weaver had a double amputation of his feet last year. He was unable to fight an infection due to a compromised immune system.

This quote from Mike Weaver, frontman of Big Daddy Weave and big brother of Jason impacted me:

(Jason's) faith remains unshaken. "It doesn't mean God doesn't love Jason because he's going through this. Jesus said in this life we will have trouble and do not be afraid because He has overcome the world," Mike said 

The frontman of Big Daddy Weave then expounded his Christian beliefs. "There is something about the stuff that we go through in this life and this season that once we step out of this season and into eternity, we no longer have that to respond to anymore. We respond to the garbage and the difficulty in this life in front of Jesus, so we can carry on to Heaven with us an offering to God that can never be made once we are in Heaven.

"That's why we give money while we are here because what are you going to do – when you get to Heaven, the streets are made of gold; money is not valuable anymore. There's no pain in Heaven, so we want to learn how to respond well to that stuff in this life, so we go through it with Jesus. And I'm so proud of my brother because he's doing that right now," he said.

Amazing! 

So many truths here, where to start?!

Suffering does not mean we are unloved. If fact Scripture tells us the opposite.

We should not be surprised. Jesus warned us. Yet so often we are still surprised. The question isn't why. Everyone suffers. If we are asking "why", we are asking the wrong Question. 

The real question is "How?" 

How do we endure suffering?

"once we step out of this season and into eternity, we no longer have the to respond to suffering anymore."

This gift of suffering well, is a gift I can give God only on the earth side of life. 

I hear you, "Gift of suffering? What is she talking about?!?"

It is a gift, suffering tests our faith, builds patient endurance, matures us. 

It is one of the ways we are called to identify with Christ.

This is a beautiful perspective.

"we can carry on to Heaven with us an offering to God that can never be made once we are in Heaven"

Do you resonate with that on some level?

That sentence does something to me, deep down in my soul. At my core.

This is not my instinctive view of trials.

I want it to be.

So badly. 

I want to be able to suffer without railing against it, without being tempted to fall into a pity party. I want to go through it with patient endurance, never losing hope, Christ suffered worse than anything this world can throw at me. Suffering well is a gift I can give him this side of Heaven, He will never require it of me again. Once I see Him face to face, I will never have the chance to make this kind of offering again. He is worth it. Eternity is worth it. 

"we want to learn how to respond well to that stuff in this life, so we go through it with Jesus."

Yes! This is what I want.

He suffered for me, am I willing to suffer for Him?