In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
…Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.
(Hebrews 12:4, 12-13)When the devil roars at us, let us perceive him with our inward eye, and determine to stand and fight him hand to hand.
If he tells us that we are too weak to fight him, let us tell him that our captain Christ stands with us and that we fight with the strength of the one who has already defeated him.
Let us fence with faith, and comfort ourselves with hope, and smite the devil with the firebrand of charity. [7]
(St. Thomas More, Dialogue, 231)
We have seen that God can turn the evil of suffering to our good.
He uses it as penance for our past sins, as protection against future sins, as purification to make us worthy of heaven, as an expression of love and loyalty to the one who suffered for us, and as a participation in his work of salvation.
An essential part of becoming a good disciple is to learn to suffer well.
Here are some tips for growing in that art as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
- It is natural and sensible to avoid suffering where we can.
But when we find ourselves facing inevitable suffering, let us not ask, “Why am I suffering?” but instead, “What is the Lord doing through my suffering, and how can I cooperate with him?”
Our suffering is wasted only when we refuse to allow Christ to suffer in us. - Let us close our ears to the siren song that says that happiness is to be found in comfort, security, and peace with the world.
This is a false road that has little to do with following Christ.
We have a battle to fight, a road to run, and a portion of suffering to endure.
Let’s find that road and accept it, knowing that we are in the footsteps of our Master. - Let’s do away with self-pity, with wallowing in victimhood, with constant complaining.
Suffering is a kind of test.
It can be the occasion of selfishness and unkindness to others, or of growth in humility and deep purification.
We rise or fall as we suffer, depending on how we respond. - Let us practice the virtues that help us to suffer well: courage, patience, and endurance.
Remember St. John’s greeting to his fellow believers: “I John, your brother, share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance” (Revelation 1:9). - Let’s not fear suffering, either for ourselves nor or those we love.
Christ promises that, though we will need to walk a road of suffering, we will not ultimately be harmed by it.
We can help our children, our wives, and our friend, learn to suffer fruitfully.
We will not serve them by trying to keep all suffering away from them.
It is not the way our heavenly Father treats us.
He allows every one of his disciples the privilege of walking a personal via dolorosa to win a heavenly crown. - Let’s remember that suffering well is a powerful weapon in spiritual warfare.
Christ’s suffering overthrew the devil’s kingdom.
Our suffering, when shared with Christ, robs the devil of his power.
The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him (2 Timothy 2:11-12).
Acknowledge the above tips that stand out to you.
Then ask the Lord to share his thoughts on those tips with you as you meet him in your time of prayer today.
