Pastor's Column“Rejoice in Sufferings??”
Several weeks ago, a Bible passage that was read in a number of churches was Romans 5:1-8. This passage says in part, "but we rejoice in our sufferings…”. Now I do not know about you, but if you are like me this Bible verse goes against every instinct you have! Suffering almost always includes pain of some sort, emotional distress, mental anguish or social isolation, and that is just for starters! It is something that we try to avoid at all costs, and if we do experience it we do everything in our power to bring it to an end as soon as possible. Suffering is hardly something that we would associate with the concept of “rejoicing”!
But before we dismiss this passage as one that advocates some sort of masochism—the tendency to derive pleasure from one’s own pain—two things should be pointed out.
First of all, the passage does not say anything about enjoying suffering or taking pleasure in it. As foreign as the concept may seem, “rejoicing” in something can ultimately take place without having enjoyed the experience whatsoever.
This leads to the second point—suffering can ultimately produce something that is considered good. The Bible passage continues, “…knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame…” Two examples may demonstrate this truth.
For one thing, anyone who participates in a sport knows that practice is essential. The stiffer the competition the more intense the practices are bound to be. The more intense the practices, the greater the “suffering” the athlete endures, aching muscles, parched throat, blistered hands and feet, mental fatigue, physical exhaustion. But each day the athlete returns in the hopes of strengthening muscles, building stamina, increasing skills and winning the championship. In the end, the whole process can lead to joy!
Another illustration comes from the world of baking. Anyone who has ever baked something tasty like Sour Milk Biscuits knows that many of the ingredients taste awful by themselves. Who would want to eat plain baking soda or baking powder, flour or a teaspoon of salt, much less sour milk!! But when these ingredients are mixed together by a skilled baker, the end result is drastically different than the ingredients by themselves. What is produced is something wonderfully delicious!
In a similar way, painful experiences do not “taste” very good to us when we are going through them. They leave an awful taste in our mouths. But in the hands of a skilled Baker these sufferings can produce something worthwhile- endurance, character and hope. And this hope is not “wishful thinking,” but the certain confidence of God’s promises in Jesus Christ. He who experienced suffering of the worst sort in our place gives us hope that does not put us to shame but enables us to rejoice, even in our sufferings.
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