Having done ALL: A blog about strength in suffering.
I dedicate this blog to my Aunty by love, JS. You have demonstrated to me what true unwavering faith in Jesus IN suffering truly looks like. I cannot begin to imagine how proud God is of you. You are one of the ones the world isn’t worthy of. Well done.
I always chuckle inwardly when clients, specifically Christian clients, list their woes and issues and say how “mad at God” they are with all they’re going through or make comments like “Really Jesus?! I know you said you’d never give me more than I can bear, but can you lighten up? Haven’t I suffered enough?!”
One word: Crucifixion.
No, friend, you have not suffered enough, nor do you even know what suffering is! Bad hair day? Accident? Sickness? Kid acting up? Family drama? Even horrible untimely loss- it still does not add up to the death of Jesus Christ and His suffering for us.
Getting saved did not procure you a life of ease - sorry to disappoint. Did you read your Bible? 1 Peter 4, John 16:33, pretty much anywhere in the book of Acts! To live for Jesus guarantees a life with challenges as you determine to honor the Lord in a world that truly prefers you did not. You were never promised an easy life. What you were promised was “peace that passes all understanding,” that “He would never leave you or forsake you,” that you would find greater reward on the other side in a character that is whole (James 1:2-4). The issue is- we actually believe we’re fine as we are! We have NO idea how many issues we have - pride, worry, impatience, unforgiveness, lack of true trust, selfishness- until some permitted suffering comes our way. Pain has a way of purifying us- if we let it have its way and stop blaming God, whining, or wallowing in resentment or self pity. Instead of asking God “why me” ask - “What’s IN THIS for me?” He will happily show you, hold your hand through the process, and bring you out to the other side a version of yourself you didn’t even know needed to exist. Read the book of Job. All of it. God is only and always good- do you really believe that?
Let’s be honest, I don’t know about you, but I don’t like reading some of the scriptures that talk about suffering. I prefer to ignore them or skip to the nice parts that reference the victory, the overcoming– you know, the GOOD parts. I don’t want to read that I WILL have many trials and sorrows. In my head, I know it’s all true and par for the course in this life on earth, especially as a Christian who is living to swim against the current. But, I will not sit here and lie saying I look at those words and feel immediately empowered and mighty. I feel like a little girl who just wants to run behind her Daddy.
But guess what? OH WELL! We’re here, we have been born with purpose, the world needs us and the enemy is busy. We have to be busiER and strap up like Jesus says to. Put on the WHOLE armor of God and stay unphased and unshocked at the enemy’s efforts to steal our peace, joy, faith, and if possible, our lives.
I have to talk about this because in this time, it is becoming painfully popular and common to see previously well known outspoken Christians now openly denouncing their faith, back-tracking on truth, and making a platform out of trying to “out” the church and shame it for its imperfections. People with “church hurt” or offended by the truth that now challenges their preferred lifestyles. I am both saddened and disgusted. I think about the MILLIONS of Christians overseas and some not as far away as the television or internet will make us believe, SUFFERING– and I do mean SUFFERING– for the right to proclaim their love for Jesus. People who LITERALLY must hide the truth in their hearts because there are real consequences for loving Jesus openly.
I have started reading the book of Acts from The Passion Translation (amazing!) reviewing Paul’s conversion from Saul and then the literal back to back acts and powerhouse moves he made, now radically in love with Jesus and fired up about sharing his story and freeing other lost souls. It just blew me away. My eyes fell on one particular scripture in Acts 16:25– this is right after Paul and Silas were severely beaten and thrown into prison for sharing Jesus “Paul and Silas, undaunted, prayed in the middle of the night and sang songs of praise to God, while all the other prisoners listened to their worship.” (emphasis mine). That word leapt out at me: undaunted. You know what that means? According to Webster's dictionary: Not intimidated or discouraged by difficulty, danger or disappointment. Also-Unalarmed, undismayed, unafraid. Here we have two men, SEVERELY beaten (not canceled on social media, not a couple of mean letters in the mail, not a nasty look from a coworker or even a major lawsuit) BEATEN and then thrown into prison for their open faith. They looked that experience in the face and essentially stuck their tongue out at it. They didn't curse God and say, “ENOUGH! We’re doing everything you’ve asked and look at this torture! We’re done!” They sang songs of praise to God– and this was NOT because God had pre-revealed, as far as we know, “hey guys, after this whole ordeal, just sing when you get in there and that will signal my angel to let you guys out, ok?” They sang praise to God with NO guarantee there would be a change in circumstances. They sang praise to God and worshipped Him because to them, in the midst of this pain, He was still worthy of praise! I am humbled to tears as I write this. Lord, may I be so bold, so undaunted in the face of WHATEVER comes my way for staying obedient to You!
I referenced my aunt in the beginning. I am sure there are millions of stories like hers with unheard of amounts of suffering and loss hitting the lives of devout believers. My Aunty J, devout servant of God, in a short time tragically lost her son and then her husband required sudden emergency brain surgery soon thereafter. Their marriage alone was a God-breathed miracle, with her husband first scoffing at her faith, then radically saved and transformed into a singing, worshipping and serving man of God. It was amazing to see them both. And then– tragedy. Son suddenly gone, and then she becomes the caregiver for her once fully mobile husband, now learning to walk and talk all over again.
We visited with her. We prayed. MANY prayed. We cried, we sent texts of love. We went to the hospital, and continued to check in once my uncle transitioned to the rehab, and then finally home on extended care to relearn how to use his body and his voice. The man who never stopped singing, joking, smiling and encouraging others was now like a child starting over. I watched my aunt. As a therapist AND as a Christian I needed to see how she would respond. Of course, I wasn’t privy to her private moments, her tears in the shower that I cannot imagine she did not cry. If she became a shell and tough to reach or encourage, I would clinically get it. I would expect it! Heck, I have clients who are a HOT mess over significantly less! I waited…. I waited….. I wait still.
She is joyful. I know she can't always be happy, but she legitimately has “unspeakable joy” and “peace that passes all understanding” aka peace that makes no sense! She continues to serve every Sunday– standing at the altar after service to PRAY FOR OTHERS who need it! She sings. She accepts every call, text, and visit with open grace and absorbs every encouraging word like the healing water it is meant to be, but let me be clear, it is not our prayer that is sustaining her, it is her unwavering love for Jesus. She should be a basket case! She is singing and praising God because God is still good, He is still on the throne, and she believes what the Word says is true: that the Lord is with her and she MUST overcome. She believes that greater is He that is in her than he that is in the world. She believes her God is still mighty Jehovah Rapha– He STILL heals and performs miracles. I know how she’s doing it, but I don't know how she does it at the exact same time. I just know she’s doing it right.
She admits to having her tougher days and times of processing. She gets weary- she’s human! But they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31). She is somehow more radiant, more beautiful, never compromising her ability to be real as she is not pretending these circumstances didn’t happen, but she presses on.
In summary, how can we all aspire and endeavor to live undaunted and unwavering in our faith, even and especially in hard or even horrible times? I believe it comes down to a few basic truths:
Know and believe your God - for real! Don’t complain- turn your complaints into prayers of faith.
Know what the Word says about your circumstances and stand on it. Speak it constantly and keep it before your eyes. Rehearse the Bible accounts of victory and the miracles you’ve seen God perform. Remind yourself that God is faithful!
Know who YOU are in Christ! You are not what you’re going through.
Surround yourself with people of strong faith - remove doubt and doubters! Ask for help from proven encouragers (and of course - therapy helps!)
Keep an atmosphere of praise, worship and thanksgiving- sometimes you won’t have the words, let worship speak for you.
Be honest, acknowledge your feelings, but don’t let them rule over the facts of God’s Word.
Having done all to stand - KEEP standing! EXPECT God to move. Ask God to show you the divine purpose in the permitted pain.
“I have told you all of this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NLT
