Suffering is Good?

Romans 5:1-5

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Here we have the kind of progression we find in a couple other places in the Bible that the Apostle Paul offers a Christian community that is facing persecution or suffering of some kind. Essentially his argument is that as people of faith, we ought to be grateful in life whether we’re facing blessings or challenges. Actually, he suggests, the challenges can be the best blessings of all, because they make us better than we are. Here he says it goes like this: We start out suffering → Then we learn to persevere → Then we build greater character → Then we develop hope. If it ended there I wouldn’t care for it because the hope is, I guess, that the suffering will come to an end, in which case I’d rather just do without suffering in the first place. But it doesn’t end there, according to Paul, who suggests that both peace and God’s love are wrapped up in all this. What do you think? In your life have you found that growing through suffering has been worth it in the end? Or have you faced suffering that was just suffering and you can’t see any good out of it? What has your experience taught you about the truth of this passage? If you’re willing, let us all know by sharing a story or two and your reflections as a comment. Please sign your comment if you’re up to it. Thanks, Pastor Eric.