“There is no education like adversity.” – Benjamin Disraeli
In human life it is impossible to avoid suffering. Siddhartha Gautama, the man who later became known as the Buddha, was raised in a highly privileged and protected environment as the son of a royal. When he was a young man he escaped the confines of the family compound where his every need had been met and every whim obeyed, and came face to face with real life. He witnessed poverty, death, and suffering. This was a shock to his system. He came to believe that human life, itself, consisted of suffering and that the only way out of this suffering was to basically cease being human.
God saw our suffering and pain and decided the only way for humans to experience fulfilling lives was for him to send his only Son to enter into human suffering and redeem it for his purposes. The Buddha advises that we escape adversity. Jesus promises to suffer with us and speak meaning into adversity by suffering on behalf of a hurting and dying world. The resurrection of Jesus points to the defeat of suffering and the truth that human life is not defined by pain and death, but by love and life.
Sin is the cause of human suffering, but God uses suffering to shape and mold our character. He can turn pain into promise if we allow his healing presence to open our eyes to a bigger picture perspective about ourselves, life, and the world in which we live. The most inspirational stories I know are about people, with God’s help, who overcome the adversity they experience and live life far beyond the limits they initially believed their circumstances dictated.
When you find yourself suffering, think of it as schooling and look for the life lessons and hope Jesus Christ brings because he has entered suffering for and with us.
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