When we deny ourselves of things that would normally bring us pleasure,
there is normally pain and suffering. The very core and belief of Christianity
is centered on pain and suffering. That is what the cross signifies, when Jesus died on it.
However, in the 21st century we don’t want anything to do with it.
“All we want to do is cover the cross in silver and gold and wear it as an ornament around our necks”.
Pain and suffering are a reality check. It’s part of the very fabric of existence.
- we can’t run away from it. Is pain good or bad? Is suffering good or bad?
Isaiah 48:10 NLT
“I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather,
I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.”
Pain and suffering are necessary to create a well rounded human being,
one with a good character. Pain and suffering make you stronger, wiser,
and empathetic. They make you a better person. There is joy at the end of pain of suffering,
so don’t run away from it. To be brutally honest, pleasure destroys you.
A really good example – almost everyone knows the harm sugar does.
It destroys your teeth, gives you tummy aches, gives you poor health and
will most likely give you diabetes in the future if you eat too much of it.
Next time you’re at the sweet store and you feel your suffering as you don’t
have money to buy sweets or your parents say you can’t, just remember that
there is joy at the end of your tunnel. All the fruits of the spirit can
only be released through the cross.
Don’t be bitter when you go through pain and suffering.
Be patient – patiently endure what you may be going through.
Is it easy to get out of bed? When its winter, raining outside when you can be
comfy in your duvet? No. But take your share of the pain and do what you have to do.
Smartness and hard-work will consistently get you to the top of your game.
In order to get stronger and become wiser, you will have to lift your load.
And what does that come with? Pain.
There was a person that came to work at my house. With all due respect,
you wouldn’t normally expect this race of people to be hardworking.
However, they got the job done really quickly with only a cup or two of
coffee and one sandwich to eat from 8am to 9pm. In short, they were super hardworking.
When you carry your cross, you get better. The people around you get better.
The nation gets better. The reason there are so many issues in this world is because people run away from their loads.
Remember the words of Jesus Christ (a man who went about doing good and
healing the oppressed), in Luke 9:23 “Then he said to the crowd,
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”
As I close, I pray the Lord will give you strength to carry your load. Thank you for reading and God bless you!