Suffering: God's Path to Victory

"'I would create the universe again just to hear you say that you love Me.'"
- Jesus to St. Teresa of Avila 

We all suffer. But why? It is in our darkest hours that many of us begin to doubt; ourselves, the people around us – even God. It’s easy to think that our friends and family don’t love us if they don’t notice that we feel broke inside. It’s easy to get angry and be disappointed in them for not being there for us and supporting us when we need them. It’s so easy to blame them when we’re down. 
It gets harder when we start thinking, No, I’m the problem. That little voice whispers inside and has more power than the loudest shout. We start seeing ourselves as someone else. Have you ever noticed that? We separate the side of ourselves that we don’t understand from the person we know we are. We think things that pull us down at the time we most need lifted up. You aren’t worth it. You’re broken. Nobody needs you. Life’s too hard to keep going. It’d be better if I weren’t here. And we begin to give up on ourselves. But if we don’t fight for ourselves, who will?

God will.

He will champion for you. He already has. And He will again. A priest once told me that if I were the only person on earth, Jesus would still come and die for me. See? He has championed for us. And He was victorious! But His victory came at a price.

Here’s the part where we doubt God. Why are these things happening? I’m a good person. Why does God want me to suffer? Can’t He see that I can’t take anymore? That I’ve already lost? But God can turn any failure into a victory.

Here's an example: God said 'no' to Jesus. Let me explain.

Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray Him, and He was afraid. So He prayed. He already knew that He was going to die – He knew that His Father was going to let Him die - and He prayed anyway. When Jesus asked His Father to save Him, He asked for God to keep the crucifixion from happening if it was His will. He wanted what His Father wanted more than He wanted to live. To prove it, all it takes is realizing that Jesus could have saved Himself but didn't because it wasn't God's will. And so He died when His Father could have stopped it all from happening.

Do we assume that God was punishing Jesus? Of course not. Was Jesus a bad person, deserving of suffering? Absolutely not. So why did God want Him to suffer? Because He had a plan that was going to do great things. Because God can bring victory through any suffering.

So rather than think that God is trying to teach you a lesson or punish you, realize that He has indeed chosen you – but for something wonderful. Have you ever noticed how when someone gets diagnosed with cancer, a whole community can be changed in their desire to love on that person? Or how a suicidal person can receive so much love that they learn to love life again and reach out to others who are suicidal? The list is endless because nothing is too big or too small for God. He is right there with you in your suffering. I promise you that He sees your struggle. I promise you that He knows and cares. Take a step back from your normal point of view and ask yourself what good has come or could come from your suffering – because I guarantee you there is something. If you are with the Lord, you will always be victorious.