Suffering is required

My head hurts. I had an article that I started working on, and I guess it's going going to be my one for Saturday. It was rainy earlier. We may or may not have snow or ice on Friday. (This is not common in the part of South Carolina I live in).
I know we talk a lot about healing. And while I think that praying for healing is fine (and something I'm guilty of not doing enough). Obviously, I'd love for people to actually, you know, help me get out of chronic pain.

(Before we get started, check out my previous article, here; God understands, and my latest on Locals; The story of vision loss)
We want to avoid suffering. Jesus didn't. He went willingly to his death.
The apostle Paul didn't tell us we wouldn't suffer (there goes the prosperity “gospel”)!.
In fact, he was very much of the opposite opinion.
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry “Abba! Father”! It is the Spirit himself bearing witness with out spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified”. (Romans 8:15-17).
“For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in his comfort to. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and for your salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently experience the same sufferings that we suffer”. (2 Corinthians 1:5-6)
And of course, Jesus himself reminds us that being followers of him requires us to suffer, (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23).
Suffering is a requirement for Christians.

Adam Charles Hovey is the host for the (usually) weekly Bible Study, Coffee and Christianity and the founder of the Catholicism, news, and whatever community

* All scripture quotes are from the Revised Standard Version Bible, Ignatius Edition, Copyright 2006, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.