One of the key premises in The Emotionally Authentic Christian is that God allows us to go through experiences and situations that we would consider to be ‘suffering’ so that, as we work through and learn from that suffering, we can better understand and empathize with those God places along our path.
This premesis is not that popular with our modern culture, which is so often driven by the relatively destructive norms of immediate gratification and entitlement (especially ‘to be happy all the time’), which leads us into rationalizations such as “but God couldn’t really WANT me to suffer!”
Here are some useful Scripture verses and related quotes that help emphasize the importance of suffering. These can be especially useful if you’re in a particularly tough place at this moment, or in a place where you’re truly open to how God wants us to learn:
Rom 5:3-7, 5:3,4L, 2:7, 8:17, 8:20-21, 8:24,25
Jas 1:2-4
Zeph 3:14-20
Ps 66:8-12 (notice the struggles – prison, burdens, embarrassment, natural disasters..leads to being tested, alive, on His path)
2Cor 6:3-7
2Cor 1:3-11
2Pet 1:2-9
Phil 1:29
2Cor 2:14
1Pet 1:3-7
1Pet 4:1-3 (NLT)
2Cor 4:7-18
Ecc 3:1
Jn 10:28,29
Jas 5:10
2Tim 3:10-11
Gen 50:20
Lk 21:12-13
Ps 34:19
Gen 41:39,40 along with 41:46 (13 years!)
Ezra 5-6
Job 6:8,9
Job 5:17-26
related see the Our Daily Bread (odb) devotionals on 12/16/05 and 12/30/05 – ‘the difficulties of life are to make us better, not bitter’
‘Teach me, Lord, to respond to the people you thrust into my life in ways that mature me, honor You, and build Your kingdom’ – from men of integrity (mofi) devotional 9/30/07 – because these folks refine me – they act as ‘sandpaper in the hands of God’ re: Tom Addington from www.cornerstoneco.com.
‘I begin to find that too good a character is inconvenient’ – Sir Walter Scott, Scottish author, mofi 7/27/07.
‘Nothing fails like success because we don’t learn from it. We learn only from failure.’ – Kenneth Boulding, economist, in mofi 8/7/07.
‘We mount to heaven mostly on the ruins of our cherished dreams, finding our failures were successes – Amos Alcott, New England philosopher, in mofi 8/8/07.
‘Those who have failed miserably are often the first to see God’s formula for success’ – Erwin Lutzer, Illinois pastor, in mofi 8/9/07.
‘We are not at our best perched at the summit; we are climbers, at our best when the way is steep’ – John Gardner, educator and writer, mofi 9/12/07
mofi 1/24/07 thought – ‘95% of knowing the will of God consists in being prepared to do it before you know what it is – Donald Grey Barnhouse, Philadelphia pastor
