Is there a hidden part of your life that no one \u2014 not even your best friend or trusted family member \u2014 knows you’re suffering with?<\/p>\n
Maybe you\u2019re suffering with depression. You\u2019re tired of where you\u2019re headed (or not headed). Your efforts to find love, happiness, meaning and purpose have amounted to little and you\u2019re wondering what\u2019s the point.<\/p>\n
Maybe you\u2019re suffering with anxiety. No matter where you are or what you\u2019re doing, you feel like a train wreck. You cannot stop feeling anxious about every little thing. You feel like there\u2019s constant pressure on your shoulders and it\u2019s weighing you down.<\/p>\n
Maybe you\u2019re suffering with addiction. Whether it\u2019s drugs, alcohol or pornography, you have a special place in your heart for a destructive and sinful infatuation. Your addiction<\/a> is ruining your relationships, and it\u2019s drawing you further away from Christ. You want to stop but you don\u2019t know how.<\/p>\n If any of these describe you, I\u2019ve got good news: You\u2019re not alone. Even better, Christ knows how you\u2019re feeling because He\u2019s been there himself.<\/p>\n I was reading 1 Peter 5 today, and there was a sentence of that chapter that leaped off the page:<\/p>\n Remember that your family of believers\u00a0all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. (v. 9<\/a>, NLT)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Peter used the word \u201cremember.\u201d Don\u2019t forget. Think about it and think about it often. Memorize it. Keep it in front of you and use it as a lens to see the world around you. That\u2019s what God\u2019s Word tells us to do.<\/span><\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the opposite: Forget. Don\u2019t remember. Don\u2019t think about it and it\u2019ll go away. Perish the thought. That\u2019s what Satan wants us to do.<\/span><\/p>\n When you’re suffering, do you suffer alone or do you remember that your family of believers all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are? Do you open up to other believers and share how you\u2019re feeling and ask them to pray for you? Or are you suffering alone and trying to make it through on your own?<\/span><\/p>\n Every day, people at church, work and home ask me how I\u2019m doing. Without even thinking about it, my default answer is \u201cFine\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m doing well. How about you?\u201d I might be depressed, worn out and exhausted, anxious about work and life, struggling to overcome an addictive sin, neglecting time in God\u2019s Word and prayer. But all in all, I\u2019m fine. Really, I am. Aren\u2019t I?<\/span><\/p>\n Maybe I\u2019m not fine, but we\u2019re all going through different struggles. Why should I talk about my suffering like it\u2019s something special? Isn\u2019t that what Job did? Every Christian is suffering. I should just suck it up, look on the bright side of things, rest in faith and know everything will work out for good.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s how we think as believers, but is that how God wants us to respond to our suffering and struggles in life?<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s a universal language every human shares around the world. I wish I could be optimistic and say it\u2019s laughter and love, but it\u2019s not. It\u2019s pain and suffering. <\/span><\/p>\n No one has ever gone through life without some pain and suffering. Sadly, the same cannot be said for laughter and love.<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s be honest. No one wants to talk about pain and suffering. If you\u2019ve read this much, I\u2019m impressed. Talking about suffering and watching someone struggle with pain is hard work. It makes us sad. It\u2019s a sad reminder of the world we live in. <\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019d rather be happy and hear about joy. Many of us will go to great lengths to avoid feeling sad. We self-medicate on anything and everything (e.g. caffeine, sugar, comfort food, adrenaline, entertainment, drugs, etc.) to avoid feeling the pain and suffering around us.<\/span><\/p>\n However, pain and suffering is a necessary part of the fallen world we live in. In 1 Peter 5, Peter\u2019s words warn us we should never forget that every believer all over the world is suffering or else we\u2019re giving Satan an opportunity to devour and destroy us. As soon as we put rose-colored glasses on and think we\u2019re \u201cfine\u201d or that the world around us isn\u2019t bad, that\u2019s when things get ugly.<\/span><\/p>\n We hate pain. We hate feeling it. It hurts. Without pain, though, we wouldn\u2019t know something is wrong. When you feel pain in your body, you go see a doctor and get things checked out. Ignoring the pain you\u2019re experiencing often makes things worse. If you wait to see a doctor till the pain is absolutely intolerable, that\u2019s often when things are beyond repair.<\/span><\/p>\n The same goes for suffering as a Christian. Don\u2019t ignore your pain. Pray about it often and turn to Christ for healing. No matter what you\u2019re struggling with, He knows your pain. He\u2019s a great physician and knows what medicine you need. <\/span><\/p>\n Hebrews 2:18<\/a> is one of many verses that reminds us that Christ suffered so He could relate to us and help us in our suffering:<\/span><\/p>\n Because he himself has suffered\u00a0when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Don\u2019t be afraid to talk about it with other believers, either. Share what you\u2019re experiencing and feeling. In 1 Peter 5, Peter guaranteed they can relate to your suffering. And Galatians 6:2<\/a> encourages us to carry each other\u2019s burdens.<\/span><\/p>\n Pain and suffering reminds us that something is wrong. There\u2019s something wrong with the world. We shouldn\u2019t feel comfortable here because we\u2019re not home. We need healing. The world around us needs healing.<\/span><\/p>\n My week is off to a rough start. I checked Facebook before writing this today and discovered that one of my best friends in college lost her life to addiction. I\u2019m hurting and I wasn\u2019t prepared to feel this much pain this week. It\u2019s an ugly reminder of the fallen world we live in. <\/span><\/p>\n But thankfully that 1 Peter 5 passage about suffering is book-ended by the amazing hope we have as Christians:<\/span><\/p>\n So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (vv. 6-7<\/a>, NLT)<\/span><\/p>\nI\u2019m fine, thank you.<\/h4>\n
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We’re united in suffering.<\/span><\/h4>\n
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You don’t have to suffer alone.<\/span><\/h4>\n
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