Don't Be Surprised When Your Arm Comes Off

I read in a book somewhere once that if you get your arm chopped or bitten off, it doesn't hurt at first.  Essentially, pain is an illusion... your brains way of saying, "Stop!  Don't do that!" It's a message that is irrelevant if your limb is already missing.

Gory, but true.

I had always believed the same about non-physical suffering.  If you are hurting, clearly someone is to blame.  Usually, I blame it on myself.  I tend to find that if I am unhappy, it is because I am fighting God about a sin in my life rather than giving it over to Him.  I figured that suffering, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, meant I had to stop doing something or change whatever was causing it.

Then I took a second look at the life of Jesus.  Jesus, who was God.  Jesus, who did not sin.  Jesus, who was perfect.  Jesus, who's story includes more suffering than I can even fathom.  Suddenly, the connection between doing something wrong and suffering began to dissolve.

The United States is one of the few countries in the world were we don't expect suffering to be a part of our lives.  We assume that it is out of place, almost unnatural.  Perhaps we have lived in comfort so long, that we have forgotten what it means to suffer on a daily basis.

God promised suffering from the beginning.  But we can go through times of suffering knowing that we will come out stronger in the end, knowing that God will walk with us every step of the way, and knowing that we cannot be defeated if we only lean on Christ.  As Jesus told his disciples, "In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

Our suffering will come, but it will not be senseless.  When we walk through the fire, it will be the refiner's fire, purifying us like gold.  So do not be surprised or confused when suffering comes your way, but neither should you lose heart.  For in the words of Peter, "the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast" (1 Peter 5:10).

Take heart, for he has overcome the world.