Suffering, Perseverance, Character and Hope

It just doesn’t seem fair to me. Just because we are Christians we have to suffer?

I’m sure you have heard the same question a million different ways.

• Why is there suffering in the world?
• Why do bad things happen to good people?
• Why does the God of love allow bad things to happen to those he claims to love?

Suffering, perseverance, character and hope, there seems to be a grand plan set forth for us.

Suffering by definition is “the state of undergoing pain, distress or hardship”, as most of us know, this is not fun.

Is there more to suffering, what is the Biblical purpose?

• Builds character
• Increased awareness of our dependence on God
• Refine and strengthen us
• Etc and so forth………..

I think that the bottom line is God uses suffering to break our hearts, to shred them to pieces so that we can continue on the journey that God has set forth for us, realizing this time that we need God on that journey.

Suffering produces perseverance, the King James Version says it produces patience. I like the word perseverance better because I am not known for my patience, but I can be quite diligent at persevering. Some would call it being stubborn I suppose but that is another topic altogether!

The bottom line is the more we practice something the better we get. We pace ourselves and settle in for the long haul. We can rest in the knowledge that God is right there beside us, good times or bad, it doesn’t matter, He is there.

God wants us to persevere through our trials and in the end this builds our character.

When we can do what is right not because it gains us attention, not because it is easy or comfortable, but simply because it is right,

that is character.

I strive to be known as a person of character but not for me or who I am, I want to be known as a person of character for Who I represent, God.

Finally the Bible says that character produces hope and hope does not disappoint. That statement radiated glowing expectation of the most comforting kind to me.

Disappointment is all around us, we disappoint our families, friends, ourselves, or they disappoint us. Nothing it seems, lives up to our expectations and disappointment is rampant in our world.

However, Hope does not disappoint.

I often sell myself short because it is very easy to get caught up in worldly things, I see with an earthly vision instead of a heavenly vision.

I can be so disappointed with life but I guess that is always as the result of sin. I will strive to look forward with the perceptive farsightedness of heaven.

I will hold onto the hope that God has given me because HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT.

Hope is the small light in a dark room.

Dottie