Suffering
Share in suffering as a good soldier in Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 2 Timothy 2:3-5
Don't fear God's punishment; cling to his provision and protection.
In our broken world, you will experience hardships. You can view those hardships as punishments from God and/or the brokenness of the world we live in, or you can see those hardships as opportunities to put more of your trust in God. How you respond to hardships can embitter you towards God. You can perceive Him to be the source of the problems of the world as sin and selfish living become the imposition of His standards upon human freedom. Alternatively, you could view hardships as a result of the fall and opportunities to renew your dependence upon God’s provision and protection.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Life will either draw you toward God so He can solve your problems or make you run away from Him as you determine to struggle through life on your own. The biggest moments in life (birth, death, etc.) cannot be done on your own. You cannot perform surgery on yourself while under anesthesia. You have to put your trust in the doctors who are not under anesthesia and are outside your autonomous system. The closer you are to the doctor, the better he can perform the surgery. Your pain and need for surgery should draw you near to the Doctor so He can draw near to you and your pain.
The only way to make sense of the pain of life is to turn to Jesus.
Sharing in Christ’s suffering is part of what it means to be a good soldier in Christ Jesus. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.” (Matthew 10:24). The only way to make sense of our pain is to look to the One who bore the greatest suffering of anyone on the cross. We can partake in the joy set before Christ (Hebrews 12:2) by partaking in the suffering of life with a spirit of joy. Suffering can make you draw near to Christ as you cling to His provision.
Jesus offered forgiveness even for those who put Him on the cross.
When you share in the sufferings of Christ with a spirit of forgiveness,, you allow His grace to flow through you to the world. Suffering is senseless until you add God’s love to the equation. His love holds everything together and offers freedom and forgiveness to those who are causing the suffering. Allow the suffering to draw you closer to God so that His love can shine through you. Cling to His protection during the surgeries in life while He holds you together and helps you make sense of every scar.