“3Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” — Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)
It all starts somewhere and getting to hope is no exception. Getting to hope, starts with suffering. There is difficulty that is going to be a part of all of our lives. And as Christians, that difficulty may feel even more defeating as we feel as though how is that possible with God on our side. And, how could God allow for the difficulty when He is on our side.
Well, God is allowing for the difficulty for what comes between that difficulty and ultimately lands in hope. It is the endurance and character that He is allowing to be built in each of us. I have to learn to endure and that is something that will not come from success and easy going. I have to be tested and have to build the strength to carry on. As noted in the bible that even gold is refined by fire, it does not just exist as we know it, there is work that goes into cleaning it up. And diamonds are created by pressure not just coal lying on the ground and then the diamonds appear.
I have to be tested to develop endurance. I have to endure to reveal my character. The suffering that is in my life is there to provide the fire and pressure that will lead to my reliance and hope in God the Father for all that I am. It is that difficulty that allows me to fight through and make it to the end.
Endurance comes from seeking to overcome. When the difficulty is presented, I have a choice to give in and allow the difficulty to overtake me and lead to my defeat, or I can develop strength to go through the difficulty and make it to the end. In his poem: A Servant to Servants; Robert Frost writes “He says the best way out is always through.” and overseas missionary, Kathryn Long indicated the meaning as: “It means that when you are in any kind of a jam or situation in life, the best way to get out of it is by going through it until you reach the other side of it. It has to do with the notion that we learn from the hard things we get through in life, not from the times when everything is smooth sailing.” https://www.quora.com/What-did-Frost-mean-by-The-best-way-out-is-always-through-in-A-Servant-to-Servants#:~:text=It%20means%20that%20when%20you,when%20everything%20is%20smooth%20sailing.
It is through our sufferings that we gain endurance which leads to our character and ultimately to our hope. It is that hope that we are able to lean on as Christians in this world. I have to remember that the sufferings are temporary and they are for my growth as I press on through to the other side, which is hope.
What are the sufferings you are experiencing today? Are you pressing through them to generate your endurance and character? What if you were to see the suffering as on the starting point in your journey through to hope in the Lord?
Trevor's Thoughts 