JOURNAL=SUFFERING-AN ORDINARY PART OF LIFE

JOURNAL=SUFFERING-AN ORDINARY PART OF LIFE




“For it was fitting-for whom and through whom ALL things exist-IN BRINGING many children to GLORY-should make the leader to their salvation PERFECT through suffering” Hebrews 2:10


THROUGH following Christ -we WILL find our way to GLORY-but first we must go through our suffering as Jesus did-NOT the way we would PREFER-but the ONLY WAY to SALVATION is through the CROSS


SUFFERING deeply wounds us-and we look to EASE our suffering-but despite our BEST EFFORTS-suffering remains-because of this-it is HARD for us to BELIEVE that within our suffering-is THE LIVING PRESENCE OF GOD-the GOD who LIVES AND LOVES US in our brokenness


it is a GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVES FOR US-and a great day to FIND GOD even in the midst of our SUFFERING




















SUFFERING-
AN ORDINARY PART OF LIFE


Are you suffering
In your life
Right now


Are you BLAMING God
Or are you UNITING
Your sufferings
With God's and Christ's


In a broad sense
suffering is defined as pain
And it can be mental-
Physical-or spiritual-OR
sometimes all three
At the same time


And it comes in varying degrees
From mild to intolerable


So I ask you again
ARE you suffering


I would say yes
Because we ALL are-in some way


For suffering
Is an ORDINARY part of life


And it is found
Even in the lives
Of us
Who follow Jesus
Maybe particularly so


“For this
You have been called
Because Christ
Also suffered for you


Leaving you an example
That you should follow
In his footsteps” 1 Peter 2:21


It is not
A punishment or a penalty
But an ordinary part
Of earthly existence


The good suffer
The bad suffer
And those in between suffer


IF you haven't suffered
At some point
In your life


You are not human


And most times
When suffering comes
We must simply
endure it


There is no way
To hurry it along
We simply must
LIVE through it


We must ENDURE the cross
-LIKE Christ did
And patiently
Work our way through it


GOD KNOWS our suffering
Before we even know


“I am in pain and distress
May your salvation-Oh God-
PROTECT me” Psalm 69:29


And God is PRESENT with us
Even when we are suffering


“MY flesh and my heart
May fail


But GOD is the strength
Of my heart
And MY PROTECTION FOREVER” Psalm 73:26


The more we endure the cross
The more Christ-like we become


And if Christ
Could RESURRECT
over death
over life
We can ENDURE suffering
By UNITING our lives
With Christ's


“Therefore
We do not lose heart
Though outward
We are wasting away
Yet inwardly
We are BEING RENEWED
DAY-BY-DAY


For our light
And momentary troubles
Are achieving for us
An ETERNAL glory
That far outweighs
Them all


So we fix our eyes
NOT on what is seen
But on
WHAT IS UNSEEN


For what is seen
Is TEMPORARY
But what is UNSEEN
IS ETERNAL” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18


SUFFERING is
An ORDINARY part of life
But by UNITING our sufferings
With Christ's


WE WILL RISE AGAIN


Robert P. Wallman
5-15-14


INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH magazine by Father James McKarns




Ps 8-20-14
1-13-15