Rejoice in Suffering

 Col 1:24 exhorts us to rejoice in suffering. To put that another way, it means to be glad in hardship, pain, and distress? Who does that? Isn't the natural reaction more like getting bitter, angry, doubtful of God's love? We feel like we are owed smooth sailing and a trouble free existence. That is a facade. 

Just this week, I had a conversation with a man very concerned about his aging wife's health. Several things have kept her down for months. A storm blew a tree over on power lines and impacted electricity and water for another man. He told me a recent storm took down seven trees. He has piled them up as high as 15' high to be burned at the right time. Another guy and his wife were spending time in Colorado. Their granddaughter checked on their house in Texas and discovered it was flooded. Ruined every room in the downstairs section. He and his wife have lived in a hotel room for the past 21 days as the insurance company drags their feet getting the home restored. His last words to me on the phone were, "We still trust the Lord. We are taking it one day at a time." I received a text today about a worship leader and his wife I have served with at youth camps in the past. The wife has cancer and hospice has been called in for her. The prognosis is not good. The husband and children are wrecked. 

How could we callously tell any of these people they need to rejoice in suffering? That is not what they want to hear in these moments of crisis. Sometimes, maybe even most times, we don't need to say anything to suffering people. Maybe we should just show up and be there for them to listen, hug, and pray. 

Like a burr in our britches, the admonition to rejoice in suffering is still there. Paul says the same thing in Phil 4:4 that we should rejoice always. The truth is our flesh does not feel like rejoicing when our worlds are crumbling around us. When the chronic pain does not subside night or day making comfort and ease illusions. When eyes sting from the salt flowing in continuous tears and are blinded to even the faintest hope, there probably will not be much rejoicing in suffering. 

People suffer. It is a cruel hard fact. All people suffer. This is a truth we cannot ignore. People without God to help or lean on for support turn to toxic ways of coping. This only makes things worse. Christians suffer. Horribly suffer just like others. The difference is that God helps through the hard stuff. It does not always turn out like we want. Like one lady told me recently, life is not a bed a roses and she feels like she's in a briar patch. Tough times do not last forever. Weeping does indeed last for the night, but joy can also come in the morning. [Ps 30:5] What do Christians do in the suffering. We keep breathing. We keep praying. We keep trusting.  We keep casting our burdens on God. We keep persevering one day and one moment at a time. 

You can rejoice in suffering for these reasons. Life on planet earth is not as good as it gets. Eternity in Heaven for the redeemed sinners is beyond imagination. You never know who might be inspired watching you navigate your own sufferings. Others may be inspired to not give up on God. They may keep pressing in close to God because of your example. Times of suffering help us not take times of blessing for granted. 

I'm not suggesting that you get in the middle of troubles and do a fake hallelujah hootenany. Your rejoicing can be silent alone in prayer. You can trust God's purpose. You can choose joy instead of bitterness. That is exactly what a widow did while her husband suffered with a terminal illness and also did after he died and still does to this day. She chose and still chooses joy. They were married in excess of 50 years. God's word would not command us to do something impossible to pull off. Through Jesus who strengthens us, we can choose to rejoice instead of complaining. Not saying it will be easy, but I am saying it is possible with God's strength and focus on His purposes.