It’s painful. It’s painful suffer defeat. It’s painful to suffer setbacks. It’s painful to experience tragedy. It’s painful to suffer persecution. It’s painful to suffer hunger and thirst. It’s painful to suffer lack. It’s painful to suffer hardship.
But it’s also painful to grow. It’s painful to change. It’s painful to learn. It’s painful to train. It’s painful to obey. It’s painful to lead. And it’s very painful to love.
With that said, we as believers are not except from pain, suffering and hardship. According to scripture, we’ve been designed for it. Pain, suffering and hardship has a way of pulling the power and presence of God out of us so we can affect our world.
We’ve been designed to endure hardship… it forms us into people of power and people of character. It’s all right; I know it’s painful… but Jesus designed it this way… yeah, I know it hurts –It hurts me as well… But know that today’s pain is tomorrow’s gain for you and others!
Here are some scriptures on pain, suffering and hardship. Just thought you wanted to know what God says about it. 🙂
Matthew 5:11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”
James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you will be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Romans 5:3-5 “We also rejoice in our suffering because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom he has given us.”
James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
Hebrews 5:8 “Although he was a son, he (Jesus) learned obedience from what he suffered.”
2 Timothy 4:5 “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.