How Does Suffering Lead to Hope? You May Be Surprised!
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,” - Romans 5:3–4 (ESV)
Suffering produces Endurance - Let’s use the illustration of running. Everyone knows you can’t gain endurance unless you push further. If you stop the second your body demands, you will never have any endurance! The bottom line: when we suffer we have an opportunity to grow in our endurance. To learn the art of going beyond what our comfort zone would dictate. This is the place of true growth!
Endurance produces Character - Consistent endurance leads to the establishment of what we all want but very few have, character! Character is sustained strength to say no to the things that are harmful to our lives and yes to the things that Christ has for us. Character is an elusive concept to those who despise suffering. Talk about character produces nothing. Endurance is what produces true character!
Character produces Hope - One of the greatest attributes of character is the evenness it creates. It does not go high and low, up and down. It does not waver from hope to hopelessness. Many people waver between the highs of hope when they are inspired and the lows of hopelessness when circumstances oppose their end goal. Character stays hopeful no matter what the situation or impossibility.
Rejoice in Suffering! - So if your hope hinges on your character and your character on your endurance and your endurance is directly determined by the suffering you walk through, then rejoice when an opportunity for suffering comes along!
Takeaway: Have you despised suffering? Have you done everything in your power to avoid the discomfort of suffering? I encourage you today to unlock the amazing power that comes when we walk through things that challenge us to our core. No pain, no gain!!
Author: Joel Stockstill (Executive Director, Surge Project)
