The Seminary of Suffering
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and there’s a purpose for your suffering.
Not just “a” purpose, but “the” purpose for your suffering. Is that possible? Does God have one main purpose in mind for all our pain and heartache, all our disappointments and physical hardships? Well, I believe He does. And that purpose has satisfied my heart through years of chronic pain, quadriplegia, and even cancer. John Piper sums up that purpose best when he says this:
“This is God’s universal purpose for all Christian suffering: more contentment in God and less reliance on self and the world. I have never heard anyone say, ‘The really deep lessons of life have come through times of ease and comfort.’ But I have heard strong saints say, ‘Every significant advance I have ever made in grasping the depths of God’s love and growing deep with him has come through suffering.’” Don’t you lovethat? Because it’s so true! Over the years, I’ve drawn so close to Christ and learned so many rich insights from His Word, and not once, never, did I learn those lessons or even draw close to the Lord during times of ease and comfort. No, every advance I have ever made in growing deeper in my walk with Jesus has happened from this wheelchair; or from a chemo clinic; or from my bed when I’ve been in pain or was dealing with pressure sores.
Now, does this mean that you have to experience paralysis or chronic pain or cancer in order to grasp the depths of Christ’s love for you? Of course not! Suffering comes at us in all shapes and sizes; it touches our lives in varying degrees; at one time or another, we all wrestle with disappointment and hardship. The challenge for us is: are we going to waste it? Are we going to squander that suffering and refuse to learn from it? When suffering comes, do we do everything to avoid it, medicate it, ignore it or escape from it? Or do we let that suffering push us down the blood-stained path to Calvary where we find help and hope?
If we hold fast to God in the midst of trials, “when all around our soul gives way,” then we show that the Lord is more to be desired than all we have lost. When we welcome suffering as a companion — oh, yes, a strange, difficult and even dark companion, but a companion nonetheless — is our faith strengthened by it? The testing of my faith and yours is more precious than gold, the Bible says. Knowing Jesus in the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings is ecstasy beyond compare. Why in the world would we ever waste a suffering? Why would we squander that hardship and refuse to learn from it? Why would we ever try to avoid or escape it? God’s universal purpose for all Christian suffering is that we enjoy more contentment in God and less reliance on ourselves and the world. And that purpose unfolds during times of suffering, no matter what the degree.
So friend, let’s boast all the more gladly of our weaknesses so that the power of Christ might rest on us. For the sake of Christ, let’s be content with weaknesses and hardships; for when we are weak, then we are strong. If you’d like to learn more about this, visit my radio page today at joniandfriends.org and ask for your free copy of “When Bad Things Happen.” And share it with a friend who is wondering about God’s purpose in their suffering. Finally, thank you for not wasting your hardships — don’t dare do that. For they pave the way to Calvary where God’s every purpose (especially the big purpose) is revealed. Thanks for listening today on Joni and Friends.
© Joni and Friends
