We also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. (Romans 5:3-4)
One of the things that I love about Scripture is that it never avoids difficult truths. One of those truths is the reality that life is filled with pain, loss, and suffering. Some of us try to avoid the pain of life by denying that it exists. Or some of us sense that harsh reality and end up depressed at the never ending hardships in life. Still there are Christians who sometimes lean toward an understanding of life with Jesus as one devoid of trials and suffering, but in reality we all know that to be a lie. Whether you’re a believer in Jesus or not you cannot escape that fact. So how do we handle it?
Well, for those who aren’t in Christ the only thing you can do is turn to Jesus. Apart from him you have no hope that your suffering will end. Sure you die. But apart from Jesus there’s more suffering to be had. But for those who trust in Jesus the answer that the Bible gives is to rejoice. That might sound counterintuitive but here’s why you can, should, and must rejoice in your suffering as a Christian.
Romans 5:3 says, “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and 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.” Christians can trust that all suffering, as hard and painful as it might be, is only producing good things. All suffering can do for the believer is produces endurance, character, hope, and glory. Paul says we will not be put to shame. If we suffer in this life for a season or if we suffer to the point of death we can take it all with joy because “we have been justified by faith” and have peace with God. We rejoice because when this life is over we’ll be rejoicing for all eternity with Jesus, our savior. In a way, temporary suffering is a speck when compared to the life that we have with Christ because we know our biggest problem, sin, has already been dealt with.