We say we want to change.
We want to grow, reach goals, attain new heights.
Do things we’ve never done before.
Become people who thrive, live life fully and make this world a better place.
We want to make a positive imprint on the people around us.
We wish to be significant and do great things.
Really? Because…if you actually want to grow, then:
Hello, Pain!
Welcome, Suffering!
Come right on in, Adversity.
Join me for a while, Hardship.
Greetings, Difficulty!
I salute you, Anguish.
Uh-huh. It’s actually true.
In God’s school of life things are often a paradox.
The way up, is down.
The path to life, is death to self.
The way of glory is marked with suffering.
To be exalted, one must first be humbled.
To gain more, we give more.
We like to skip this part and just bask in the success. We’d rather not walk through difficulty or embrace suffering. We prefer a quick fix. Something simple and sweet.
It just doesn’t work that way.
Think of some significant people that you know or have read about: You probably only see their success, their glory, the accomplishment or the mark they made in history. Yet none of that was achieved without a measure of suffering, pain and/or heartbreak.
Embrace it. Don’t ignore pain. Don’t avoid hardship or tune it out. Embrace it. Process all the emotions; label them and share the burden.
Know this: You are not alone. You might feel alone, but there are multitudes who have felt these same emotions and faced similar circumstances.
Righteousness comes through faith.
When we choose to embrace suffering, we exercise our faith.
The more we exercise this faith, the stronger it grows. And like Abraham in the Old Testament, it is “accounted to us as righteousness.” Romans 4:22
In conclusion, take a look at this quote by the 19th century Ugo Bassi:
“Measure thy life by loss and not gain.
Not by the wine drunk, but by the wine poured forth.
For love’s strength standeth in love’s sacrifice
And he who suffers most has most to give.”
Embrace the difficulty in your life. Exercise faith, and know that growth is already happening!