Suffering

I've been finding a recurring theme in my reading lately, suffering.

Things like, "You came to serve, not rule. Know that you were called to suffer and to labor, not to be idle, or to spend your time in talk. Here therefore men are proved as gold in the furnace. Here no man can stand, unless he humble himself with his whole heart for the love of God." 

"Jesus has many lovers of His heavenly kingdom, but few bearers of His cross."

"All desire to rejoice with Him, few are willing to endure anything for Him or with Him."

"Many love Jesus as long as adversities do not happen."

"With great reason, ought you to cheerfully suffer a little for Christ's sake; since many suffer more grievious things for the world."

"If there had been any better thing, and more profitable to the salvation of man, than suffering, surely Christ would have showed it by word and example."

"For both the disciples that followed Him, and also all who desire to follow Him, he plainly exhorts to the bearing of the cross, and says, 'If any will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.'"

(All quotes above by Thomas a'Kempis)

As I've reflected on the things I've read, I've realized a scary thing. I don't even like to be inconvenienced, much less suffer.

Countless times a day I grumble, mostly inwardly, but still I grumble about the inconveniences I face. "What is the matter with those people? Can't they do their job better? Don't they know my time is valuable and they are wasting both my time and my money by not doing their job efficiently...ect." Recent return trips to the nearest DMV in the next county have almost made me blow a gasket. EVERYTIME.

Never once have I considered that these daily little inconveniences could be for my benefit. To teach me, to train me to be better able to walk in His footsteps, to be more like Him.

Sometimes we read the Old Testament and think we'd have behaved better than the Israelites did as they wandered through the desert. No, we wouldn't have. Can you imagine how much whining would be going on if we experienced that?

"Sometimes, however, you  must use violence and resist manfully your sensual appetite, not regarding what the flesh would or would not, but rather taking pains that even against its will it may be made subject unto the Spirit. And so long should it be chastised and to be forced to remain in servitude, until it be prepared for everything, and learn to be content with little, and to be pleased with plain things, nor to murmur against any inconvenience." Thomas a Kempis

"He (Moses) chose to suffer with God's people rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a little while. He thought that being insulted for Christ would be better than having the treasures in Egypt. He was looking ahead to his reward." (Heb. 11:25-26)

Praying to please Him in all my thoughts, words and actions.

 

Comments

[Rebecca Radicchi]

Thanks for befriending me on FB. Love your heart for orphans. I'll add your blog to my Bloglines!