The Honor of Suffering

“He allowed you to believe in Christ. But that is not all. He has also given you the honor of suffering for Christ. Both of these bring glory to Christ.” Philippians 1:29

No one enjoys suffering. I just came from a visit with a friend who spent the last eight weeks in hospitals and convalescent care. In his 80s, he broke his leg over two months ago and had a nasty infection invade where the break occurred. He has been home three weeks and finds it extremely painful to walk. Even though he had the attention of doctors, nurses and therapists while away, he willingly gave all that up to be at home alone. Any of us would feel the same way.

Suffering usually implies some sort of pain; whether emotional or physical. We can understand the purpose of some suffering, especially the self-imposed sort. An athlete suffers through painful workouts to achieve the optimum level once it is time to perform. Some people may choose a lifestyle that puts them in harm’s way to serve the less advantaged. We are able to attach meaning to suffering of these sorts.

The suffering that puzzles us isn’t even the unjust sort. We can see good come out of false imprisonments when it motivates people to stand up for justice, for instance. But when it seems completely senseless, when someone is struck by an incurable disease, we struggle to find any worth at all in their pain. It causes many to question the existence of God, or at least a benevolent deity.

Paul, on the other hand, presents a different view for the follower of Christ. He says that believing in Jesus and suffering for Him both bring Him glory. This “glory” is the “credit” Jesus receives as His followers are observed doing things that actual believers in Him do. Believers feed the poor in Jesus’ name, and people are attracted to the One they follow. Believers work to break down the separating walls of racial intolerance, and Jesus’ name is glorified.

And, in the same way that unjust suffering can cause people to stand up for justice; so it is when followers of Jesus suffer for the very fact that they are followers; Jesus receives glory. The unspoken assumption is that those who suffer suffer well. I cannot imagine the apostle Paul has in mind a Christian who is arrested for harassing women entering an abortion clinic. And, once incarcerated, the Christian moans about mistreatment and the atheist “state” of affairs, calling names and belittling those who arrested him.

Perhaps the sort of suffering that glorifies Christ is more like the time Paul and Silas were arrested. At midnight, after everything is pitch black in a Roman cell that likely smelled of feces and urine, we find the two men singing hymns. Out of the rank darkness prisoners hear “What a Friend we Have in Jesus.” (Yes, I know it’s an anachronism!) When mistreated for our faith, Jesus is glorified in how we bear up under it. Paul and Silas sang in the middle of injustice and treated their jailers with respect. We should honestly think about that next time we feel like moaning about how terrible things are for Christians in America.

With all that said, there is something else this verse spoke about to me. “Suffering” doesn’t have to be happenstance (sickness, or accidents) or imposed from the outside (bullying, or imprisonment). Indeed, few in the United States come close to suffering in the sense the New Testament talks about. But, what if we can “suffer” a bit by our own choice?

Maybe an example will help. Suppose I have saved up $1,000. I scan the travel sites and prepare to embark on the long-awaited cruise. I can feel the sun on my back, the trees swaying in the breeze and the sound of music on the beach. It’s my money, I’ve earned it. I’ve given generously, tithing at the least, and often giving more. There would be nothing wrong at all in taking the cruise.

But, what if, in a free country, Christians started doing a bit of self-imposed suffering. What if I took that money and said, “Father, this is Yours, not mine.” And then, imagine that, instead of booking a cruise, I discover a mission trip to dig wells in a Third World Country. I have spent the same amount of money, but instead of tropical beaches, I’ll be working hard, straining my muscles and getting sunburned to help bring water to those who have little.

And, imagine the glory Jesus receives when people say, “Weren’t you going to go on a cruise?” With a twinkle in my eye I say, “I got everything I wanted, and more.”

Now, we may not all have $1,000, but let’s think the principle through. What if believers started, as a habit of their lives, choosing the harder option whenever they had the choice? What if I have two hours and I can spend it having coffee with buddies or driving to town to visit a widow in the nursing home? What if I have a weekend all to myself, and, instead of spending it on the golf course, this time I give my time at the homeless shelter? What if I smile instead of frown? What if I refrain from cursing about those I disagree with, and suffer just enough to actually find one good thing to say about them?

Instead of predicting the doom that is coming to America, and telling people to prepare for suffering, why not suffer now? Seriously. Athletes, scholars and musicians understand this principle all too well. You choose the harder of two options and you end up with better results in the end.

For the follower of Jesus, voluntarily choosing to do the less self-centered thing, and doing the more “painful” may end up giving Jesus glory He would never receive from the time I sit watching my favorite sitcom. We have the choice, and sometimes the choice to suffer just a little bit may change someone’s mind about Jesus and about those strange people who follow Him.