Suffering Well

The series we’re in right now is called Stuff Jesus Changed, and I believe Jesus changed suffering. I believe that because of how Jesus approached and endured, and yes, eventually triumphed over suffering, you and I can suffer better, suffer differently, than we could have otherwise. Sounds strange, right, to talk about suffering better? Really it makes sense, because the fact is that suffering will come to everybody in this life – Christian, non-Christian, rich, poor, attractive, ugly – none of us will escape it. So the question when it comes to suffering is not whether we will suffer, it’s how will we respond when our time comes. Thomas A’ Kempis said, “He who knows how to suffer will enjoy much peace. Such a one is a conqueror of himself and lord of the world, a friend of Christ and an heir of heaven.”

James chapter 1, verses 2-4 is our text for today.

James 1:2-4 (MSG)

2 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.

3 You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.

4 So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

Let us begin looking at the text by noticing what is not there. I talk to a lot of hurting people and do you know what I believe is the most common tendency hurting people have, especially hurting people who are Christians? 1) The most common tendency among hurting Christians is to try to figure out a reason why God is letting this happen. “Maybe God let this happen so that my husband would learn this or that.” “Maybe this is happening so that I didn’t move all the way out here for nothing.” “Maybe this is God’s way of getting me to spend more time with my family.” This is not only a common tendency, it is a natural tendency, even among those who are not Christians. But do you know why it’s natural? It is natural because we live in a country where we have learned to see ourselves at the center of the universe. Now I want to be very gentle here, because as I said, the majority of hurting people I have seen are asking this question. I’m not trying to single anyone out or be hurtful – that’s the last thing I want. But I need to point out important truth here. This tendency we have to try to figure out every nuance of everything comes from an assumption that we are at the center of the universe. The cosmic tragedies in life must have something to do with us personally. Make no mistake, my friends, this is a modern phenomenon.

Individualism is a fairly recent thing – it came out of our universities in the 1960’s and gradually crept into popular consciousness, so that now it’s impossible for most people to see the world any other way. Unfortunately, this includes most Christians. Even as Christ-followers, many of us think that the biggest tragedies in this life must come down to us.

Now I want to be very clear. We have a great role to play in suffering, and there is a purpose in suffering that does intersect with our lives. But my friends, scripture has told us what that purpose is. The purpose in suffering is to give you opportunities to become more like Christ. The purpose in marriage is to give you opportunities to become more like Christ. The purpose in church is to give you opportunities to become more like Christ. The purpose in work is to give you opportunities to become more like Christ. Suffering serves the same purpose as the rest of life. This is actually very simple. So simple, in fact, that we miss it. For some reason (and I think it’s because we’re modern Americans, like I just said), that’s not enough. It’s not enough for us to know that we are to become more Christ-like in our suffering. We have to know EXACTLY why. SPECIFICALLY why. How does this relate specifically to my job? How does this relate specifically to my marriage, or my child, or my depression, or my anxiety, or my need for me-time, or whatever…