Some Things Are Worth Suffering For

Thursday, March 25th, 2010 | Lent Meditations

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.
-Hebrews 12:1-3

We go to extraordinary lengths to avoid suffering. Just walk through the aisles at any pharmacy and look at the sheer number of products available to ease every imaginable discomfort! Often we have to suffer because we don’t have a choice: when we come down with an illness, lose a job, or experience emotional pain caused by bad choices someone else made, there isn’t much we can do to avoid the hurt. But how many times have you actually chosen some sort of suffering?

This makes me think of the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 26:53-54, after one of His disciples tried to fight the crowd sent to arrest Jesus: “Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”

Jesus didn’t have to suffer. He could have crushed the entire Roman army with a word, or prevented the religious leaders from having Him killed. But instead, He endured the cross because of the joy awaiting Him. He knew that His death would mean that countless people would be able to know God and be at peace with Him—and that it would be the first step in setting right all the things that were wrong with the world. There are some things worth suffering for. If God calls you to bear something difficult in order to accomplish something He says is worth it… how will you respond?

Tags: Lent 2010