Suffering takes many forms. We can suffer from physical illness, pain or disability. We suffer when we lose a loved one to death. We suffer when we lose income or experience rejection by a friend or peer group. We suffer because of unfulfilled longings. We can suffer due to injustice. What kind of suffering have you experienced?
Jesus suffered. He not only suffered torture and crucifixion, He suffered rejection from His own people. He experienced being misunderstood.
It may surprise you to know that when we suffer, God suffers with us (see Isaiah 63:9). He is empathetic and compassionate.
Another thing that is important to realize about suffering is that not all suffering is a reaping of what we’ve sown. Life here is life in a war zone. Shrapnel is flying around and randomly hitting people. The Bible emphasizes that bad things happen to even good people (see Luke 13:1-5 and Job 1)- also note that good things happen to bad people (Luke 6:35), proving that what happens does not always have something to do with your actions.
On the other hand, some suffering is self-inflicted. Failing a college class because you rarely showed up and seldom studied is not something God did to you. Being a negligent dad while my kids are young and then expecting them to want a relationship with me when they are adults is delusional. I can suffer a variety of physical afflictions because of poor stewardship- a good many physical ailments would clear up if we changed what we eat and began to exercise consistently.
I’ve got a little more to say about suffering, but it will wait till next week.