Share in Suffering

“The world tends to equate a lack of suffering with the favor of God. Someone makes it through life somewhat unscathed, hashtags it all #blessed, and foolishly believes it’s a sign of Gos’s Love. Paul would have a very different view of the #blessed life.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul states that everything he did was so that he would know Christ, know the power of his resurrection, and ‘share his suffering .’ Paul counted it s privilege and a joy to suffer for Christ (Colossians 1:24).

We can begin to live joyfully when we stop seeing every instance of suffering as punishment from God. Every hardship and heartache is a chance to be more like Christ. Every trial becomes an opportunity to walk as He walked (1 John 2:6). Then, looking back, we’ll realize that we lived quite a #blessed life…” (Joyful)