I am increasingly amazed at what I can find from the bible. The verses in the bible are like gems and nuggets of wisdom that I can keep in my heart everyday. It really goes to show that God has already provided his guidebook to Life in the Bible and it is up to us to unveil it. As I was preparing for bible study with my girls, I found a passage that would be very useful for me whenever I find it hard to react to sufferings.
Though a really short passage, I find myself absolutely in awe of the many lessons that I can pick out from these verses.Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.1 Peter 4:12-16
Here goes the 5 ways that we can learn to respond:
1. We are not surprised by our sufferings as though it was something strange.
I fear that this has been my current way of reacting. I am always caught off guard when trials come my way. However, a verse in the bible reminds us that we are granted or given sufferings for Christ's sake. This means that we have to prepare for sufferings and realize that it is going to be a part of our lives.
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him
-Philippians 1:29
2. We rejoice in our suffering and are overjoyed when God's glory is revealed through our suffering.In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted-2 Tim 3:12
Rejoice means to feel or show great joy or delight. How do you feel delight when you feel so tired out and discouraged? You can when you delight not in your circumstance but in God's glory being revealed through our suffering. Well that means, your focus is on how God can be greater exemplified and because of that you are able to rejoice. A great example can be seen in Paul.
The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.-Philippians 1:18
3. We are blessed when we suffer for God.
The greek word for blessed is "Makarios". It means the state of one who has become a partaker of God, to experience the fullness of God. This meaning of blessed is not something I am familiar with as I thought when we are blessed it would mean blessings or happiness. But that is not exactly what God promised. He promised us full satisfaction in Him when we suffer. That is far more amazing than the ability to feel happy. You may be happy but you may never be satisfied.
4. We are not ashamed of our suffering.
Not all sufferings are pleasing to God. "However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed". In the past when people knew that I made a certain decision because I was a Christian, I would be ashamed. I fear that I would be seen as "holy", as a "good girl" or not following a current trend or defending myself. But it is explicitly mentioned for us to not be ashamed even if it means that we look or act differently than what most would.
5. We praise God for being able to bear His name.
Sometimes when we suffer, we tend to only see ourselves and how terrible it is for us. However, this verse reminds us that when others may come to know of our sufferings and see the way we respond and may come to know God as a result, we praise God.
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I wanted to end here. However, after writing this post, something unexpected and difficult happened to me. It also took me awhile before I healed from it and before I could share it with others. I have recently been accused and reported for insufficient contribution in a group project and that had a negative implication on my grades. This was an incident that has been really tough for me to handle. Tough because I felt extremely misunderstood as I did try my best. I told God that I really wanted to obey Him in my response instead of being filled with anger and revenge because God did say in the bible to not repay evil for evil and in a recent verse that I memorized to make peace with others. ("Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Sons of God." -Matthew 5:9) I prayed for peace and wisdom as I tried to resolve this conflict.
I talked to some friends and they prayed for me and I managed to muster some courage to contact my group mates and write an email to my professor for clarification. I thought that the most mature way to handle it would be to communicate with my group mates and end the project on a good note and at the same time clarify my point of view with the professor. It was really difficult and humiliating to do that but I knew if I did so, I honored God and did what was right before God.
As a result, though I still didn't feel too good, I was at peace. I knew that God blessed me with peace from Him. I met my prof the following week and everything was settled. I am so thankful that God showed me that if my desire is to obey God, He would give me what I need to, to do it. It is not about taking away sufferings but what I can learn from the suffering, a lesson that I found myself joyfully applying. I could apply His principles and I could rejoice when I am wrongly accused. After this incident, I knew understood 1 Peter 4:12-16 a lot better than before. I knew deep in my heart that I came out much more joyful and at peace than what I would have if I were to retaliate with my friends.
Well, in all that, I was most happy that God would be pleased :)
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
-1 Peter 4: 12-13
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