Suffering

Suffering....it is such an unpleasant word. We have all faced suffering in our lives. Sometimes more than once. Suffering to me is when you feel as if you are completely dying, yet you are still putting one foot in front of the other and living when it seems impossible to live. It is a pain like no other. My greatest suffering came when I lost my best friend and husband. Sharing my life with someone for 7 years, being together all the time, sharing tradgedies and triumphs together and then in an instant it was gone. The day I lost Barett was the worst day of my life, it was the start of great suffering in my life.  In my opinion there is no greater pain than the pain that comes with suffering. As much as we want to fastforward and run away from the suffering, we can't. That is not what God wants from us. To run from suffering is to refuse to see Gods plan and hand in the midst of the suffering and pain. To run from suffering is to reject the lessons God has planned for you in it. God wants us to do more than endure the suffering, he wants us to embrace it. He invites us to draw closer to him in the midst of the suffering. When we embrace suffering, we are welcoming Gods work in our lives even in the most unimaginable circumstances. It's enjoying Gods presence in your life even when you are filled with questions and complete pain. When you embrace suffering you are entering into a deeper relationship with God. His presence in your life strengthens you in a way that you may not have been without experiencing this incredible pain. I know, embracing suffering is HARD! That is where trust comes in, and there is no one I trust more than Jesus Christ, who knows my pain  and who suffered the greatest pain when he absolutely did not deserve it. He embraced the pain because he loves us so much. While we may not understand the why's, and unanswered questions, God does. He is the director of "my story" and "your story" and he is and knows the happily ever after.....do you? 

"Then he said to the crowd, If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." Luke 9:23-24

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