The Suffering Christian part 2: Dealing with Trials

As the title suggests, in this article I'm going to continue discussing the topic of suffering, this time focusing on how we can learn from suffering, and practical ways to deal with it. As with so many things, there is no magic formula, but I will share some things that I have found helpful in my experience. More importantly, I'll share some principles straight from Scripture. I'll assume that you understand why suffering happens and that you have an idea of how your situation fits into the 'big picture'. If not, I refer you back to my previous article when I discuss the question of “why?”. Make sure you get that part settled in your mind. It's difficult to move forward and heal without understanding why things are happening as they are.

Learning from suffering
You're probably familiar with several verses that mention having joy during trials, James 1:2 being one of them. James then goes on to say in verse 4, “let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” In other words, let your trial teach you patience and let it run its course. Don't wimp out before your trial is done, or you'll miss something. James then says to ask God for wisdom if you lack it (v.5). God will help you understand your trial and to learn whatever it is you need to learn. You should come out wiser in the end.

Trials and suffering should also produce hope (Rom. 5:3-5). As you experience trials and suffering, you will also experience God guiding you through these things, and as you come through the trial, you will experience the “love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us”. As you experience these things it gives a greater degree of certainty to your faith, and strengthens your hope in the resurrection. Similarly, 1 Peter 1:7 talks about trials refining our faith to a greater degree.

Now, let me give a bit of advice from my own experiences. Stay in Scripture. Not only will it help you learn from your trial, it will keep you encouraged, and give you perspective. Do whatever you can to keep the Bible in your mind. If you have difficulty reading or concentrating, listen to an audio Bible. I can say from my current struggles with sickness, there are days that my symptoms prevent me from reading much if at all. Audio Bibles are a great tool for times like those. We live in a privileged age. Whatever your situation, you can almost certainly find a tool to help you stay in the Bible.

A quick word on audio Bibles...they can get you into trouble just as much as any corrupt Bible text, so be careful. You don't want the reader to add characterization/tone to the passage. Adding an angry voice where it doesn't belong or making Jesus sound like a sissy little girl is just as bad as changing the words themselves. Find an audio Bible where the reader maintains a mostly neutral tone of voice. Also pay attention to if the reader is following punctuation. Again, adding or removing pauses in a sentence can alter the meaning. If you're planning to use an audio Bible and have found one you think you like, I recommend that you do a dry run, following along in your Bible to make sure that the reader isn't messing with the text through tone/pauses, etc. Again, audio Bibles are a great tool, just be cautious. They're not a substitute for Bible reading, but can be a great help if you're having trouble reading.

Practical advice to get through trials
The best advice that I can give to anyone struggling with a trial is to focus on others as best as you can. It sounds strange I know. When you're sick, you just want other people to take care of you, right? That's fine, and there's nothing wrong with accepting help, but you should also never cease to try to help and serve others (Phil. 2:3-5). In practice, this will help by forcing you to take your mind off your own situation. Instead, you'll be thinking about others, or about serving God and the glory to come, or about the plight of those around you still lost in their sins. It puts things in perspective doesn't it? Who is worse off; the Christian whose suffering, no matter how severe, is only temporary, or the lost sinner who might be fine now, but will suffer an eternity in hell unless they repent? So, fight through your trial and help someone. Encourage a fellow Christian, give the gospel to a lost person, etc. Just find something productive to do, even if it's small.

On a similar note, it's important to be flexible. Especially if you're going through an illness, you may not be able to work/serve in the same capacity that you used to. Maybe you used to hand out 100 tracts every week, but now you can only do 10. Or maybe you can't get out at all, so you start mailing tracts to people. Whatever the case, don't let it get you down, just keep being faithful as you are able. As a friend of mine says, “do what you can, don't do what you can't”.

I'll also say, don't give up on asking the Lord for strength to serve. He may provide some special opportunities. I'll briefly share an example in my life. After I started to struggle with illness, there was a major event at the local campus which was always a great evangelistic opportunity each year. I really wanted to go, but knew there was no chance I'd make it, even on a good day. I prayed, telling God how much I wanted to do this, and begging Him for strength. I prepared for the event and was ready to go. The day of the event, I had an amazing amount of energy and my symptoms were almost non-existent. Not only was I able to make it, but I handed out even more tracts than I had in previous years. Almost immediately after I was done, the energy faded and my symptoms returned, but I was so thankful that God had allowed me that time.

Now, I want to switch gears a bit and talk about grief, sorrow, and mourning. These emotions are absolutely appropriate, especially if you've lost a loved one. Be patient with people who don't understand. Some will say “just cheer up”. Help them to understand to “weep with them that weep” (Rom. 12:15). Though we might mourn, it should not be in the same manner as the world. They have no hope, but we have the hope of the resurrection (1 Thess. 4:13-18). As stated in v.18, we should comfort each other with these facts.

Although grief and mourning are appropriate, they can turn into self-pity which is rooted in selfishness and is a sin. How can you tell if you have appropriate grief or sinful self-pity? Do some self-examination. Ask yourself, “Am I upset because of the situation and/or because I miss my loved one, or am I upset because something bad happened to me?” In other words, are you upset about what happened, or are you upset about how it affected you? Analyze the kinds of thoughts and emotions you have about the situation. If you find yourself repeatedly saying “I” or “me”, you've probably crossed the line and need to repent of your selfishness. Maybe you are grieving as though there's no hope. If so, repent of your lack of faith, and ask God to help you trust more in his promises. Do some study on the resurrection, second coming, and heaven.

One final suggestion: be honest in prayer. So many people have what I call “Sunday school syndrome”. Just like in Sunday school, you give the right answer even though it may not be what you really think or feel. If you're angry, don't just push it aside because you know anger is wrong, but bring it to the Lord. Confess your anger and ask the Lord for patience. Maybe your situation has you questioning what God is doing, or it doesn't seem fair. Don't accuse God of unrighteousness, but bring your concerns to Him humbly (see Jer. 12, Gen. 18:23-33).

Conclusion
When you find yourself in the midst of a trial, learn everything you can from it. Stay connected to God through Scripture and learn to trust more in his promises. Allow your suffering to cause you to look forward to the glory to come with even greater hope. Continue to encourage your brothers and sisters and preach the gospel as best as you can. If you find yourself unable to serve in the same way that you have in the past, be creative about ways to reach out to others with the gospel. Don't drop out of the war for souls just because you have some battle scars!

The Suffering Christian part 1: Why?

It goes without saying that suffering is a part of life. A while back I wrote on this topic in my article "Why do bad things happen?", where I addressed the philosophical argument. Here, I want to focus specifically on suffering as it applies to Christians. 

As I began to write on this topic I realized there's much I'd like to say. Therefore, I'll be diving it into two parts. This part will provide an understanding of why we suffer as Christians. The next part, which will hopefully come in the next couple of weeks, will focus on how to deal with suffering on a very practical level, and how to make sure you grow through your suffering.

Why do we suffer?
Let me just start off by saying that if you thought Christians were exempt from suffering, and that Christ was going to give you prosperity and 'your best life now', then you've been sold a lie. We do bear the fruits of the spirit, including joy and peace, but these are often shown most clearly in the midst of terrible circumstances. To put it plainly, history is full of stories of Christians singing joyfully while being burned at the stake or suffering some other terrible end. In reality, we should expect to experience more suffering than others in this life. To follow Jesus is to “deny yourself and take up your cross” and to “lose your life” (Matt. 16:24-25). So, don't fret when you see faithful Christians suffering while the selfish and unrighteous are prospering (read Psalm 73).

OK, so suffering is expected, but why do we suffer in the first place? There are several reasons. I'd like to break them down into categories and deal with each individually.

Chastening – our own fault
This is the most straightforward reason for suffering. If you're a Christian, a true child of God, you should know that he will not let his children stray too far. Hebrews 12 makes it clear that every child of God will endure chastening at some point, because we all need correction. Either you're doing something you shouldn't do or you're neglecting something that you should be doing. Because of this, God is using a heavy hand to attempt to correct you, often through circumstances.

As a general recommendation, I think it's good practice to do some self-examination whenever a trial presents itself. Even if you don't think it's chastening, it's worth it to be sure. Those times when extraordinary circumstances come against you, or you're wondering “why am I sick?”, or things just seem to be going poorly – it might be God trying to get your attention. Whenever you have those feelings, take a few moments to examine your life. Are you flirting with sin? Have you shamed Christ with your testimony? Have you failed to take a stand by confronting error or preaching the gospel? Pray for God to help you see your failures.

If you examine yourself and find some kind of sin issue, that's likely (but not always) the issue. This is why I discussed chastening first – because our sin should be the first thing we deal with. Failure to respond to chastening and deal with sin can cause continued sickness and even death, as seen in 1 Cor. 11:27-34.

So you find yourself in the midst of suffering due to chastening, what do you do? It's pretty simple. The purpose of chastening is to get you to turn from unrighteousness to righteousness (Heb. 12:11). Repent of whatever sin has ensnared you. There may still be lasting consequences, but the quicker you come to your senses and repent, the better off you'll be.

Suffering for Christ's sake
Persecution is the easiest kind of suffering to endure. This is not to say that it is any less painful, but knowing that the Lord is greatly pleased with us allows us to walk through the fire with a smile. Scripture heaps blessing on those who suffer for Christ's sake (Matt. 5:10-12).

If I may go off on a brief tangent here, In Scripture we see that persecution is expected to be fairly common (Peter 4:12), but it's pretty rare here in America. Why? Isn't there a spiritual war going on? Aren't we salt and light in a dark world? For the most part, no. Churches and Christians have spent most of their energy being cool and looking like the world, instead standing in opposition to the world and preaching the gospel. Most of this is just fake Christianity, but I know there are genuine Christians that get caught up in it too. If you've never faced hardship for your faith, you should ask yourself why.

Serious persecution doesn't really happen in America. I've had a few people get upset and nearly punch me, but that's about it. If you're living a faithful Christian life, which includes sharing the gospel with the lost, you'll have people “say all manner of evil against you falsely”. You'll lose friends, not only friends who are lost, but also “Christians” who are convicted by someone who takes Scripture seriously. In fact, I can guarantee that most of your hardships will come from the “Christian” crowd. They want an easy, feel-good, rock n roll kind of religion. If you come along talking about sin, holiness, repentance, and genuine discipleship, they'll do anything they can to marginalize you. Don't be discouraged when this happens. Stay true to Scripture and recognize that the fake Christianity that you're fighting is Satan's greatest stronghold in America.

Suffering without a clear purpose
What about the times when you're not suffering because of chastening, nor from persecution? Maybe you've endured serious illness, or poverty, or the death of a loved one. These are the times when you want to know “why?”. I'm not going to lie, there's no magic answer to this. It comes down to trusting God and understanding that he is working out a “big picture” that we can't even begin to imagine.

Romans 8:18-28 says much on this topic. First off, we recognize that the whole creation groans in pain, waiting for redemption. This means that until God puts us in new bodies on the new Earth, it's just a fact of life that we're going to be experiencing pain and suffering as a result of living in a sin-cursed world. All we can do is wait and hope, allowing the pain to cause us to look forward to Christ's return. Yet, we are not left completely clueless. Rom. 8:28 says all things work together for our good. How so?

First, recognize that there may be a lot more going on than you realize. God may be using your condition to impact others in ways that you'll only know much later, if ever. Something kind of like this happens in John 9. At the beginning of the chapter, the disciples ask why a certain man was born blind, assuming it was a punishment for sin (v.2). Jesus corrected them, saying that it was not because of sin, but so that Jesus could perform the miracle of healing him (v.3). This man suffered his whole life from blindness, forcing him to beg. It must have seemed so pointless to him. Then, as a result of his healing, we see a demonstration of God's power, and this man becomes a bold witness, even standing up to the Pharisees (v. 30-34). None of this would have happened unless he was blind to begin with. There are other Biblical examples of this principle (such as the raising of Lazarus), but I think this is the most clear. So, again, even though we might not see any immediate purpose, you can trust God to work things out. What if, through your suffering, someone comes to salvation? Would that not be worth it?

Second, suffering is often used to develop your character and your faith. This idea is found throughout the Bible (Isa. 48:10, Prov. 17:3, Rom. 5:3, James 1:2-12) Think about it, even the captain of our salvation was made perfect through sufferings (Heb. 2:10). This is not just talking about the cross. Isaiah 53:3 says Jesus was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief”. We see this played out in the gospels. Jesus was a wandering preacher with no place to call his home. He was constantly hated and misunderstood. The people that he deeply loved and wanted to save hated him and tried to kill him on several occasions. Eventually he was betrayed by one of his closest friends, and his other friends scattered. This was the life of God's Son. So, it should come as no shock that God would use trials to perfect us as well.

Conclusion
I hope this helps to bring a little more perspective to those who are suffering various trials. Always remember to first do a self-examination when a trial comes along to see if it is chastening. If it's not, comfort yourself in Scripture and remember that God is using this trial to accomplish something, even if you don't know what that is. I can't stress enough the importance of being in the Scriptures daily, especially during a trial. Next time, I'll go through some practical ways to stay patient through suffering and to make sure you're growing as much as you can through it.