Grow Through It

Ruth

We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

—Romans 5:3–4

All I wanted to do was get rid of my suffering. It was my fifth miscarriage, and I just wanted to fast-forward through the pain that was all too familiar to me. I didn’t want to have to go through any of it! Looking back, though, I realize how much I would have missed that way. I wouldn’t have missed the questions, the tears, or the longing for another child—I would have missed what God was doing in me.

The “glory” of suffering is lost if we try to just get through it instead of also growing through it. This is why throughout the New Testament we are called to suffer in the right way.

So what does suffering, done the right way, produce in us?

Romans 5:3–4 reminds us that God never wastes suffering. Painful seasons and circumstances are filled with meaning and purpose. They are indeed producing something in us. So as much as we love to escape suffering, God wants us to endure it. But not for just any reason.

We endure suffering and trials because we are confident God is working something in us, something deeper and far more transformational. The apostle Paul said, “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance” (v. 3).

In the New Testament, to persevere is to remain focused on trusting and obeying God. Suffering or trials have a way of removing all the things that steal our focus from what matters most. Our pain purifies our priorities, bringing us back to greater love and loyalty. This is the kind of fruit suffering produces in us when we suffer the right way.

Are you in the middle of a painful season? Do you find it easier to want to escape suffering instead of enduring it? Whatever you are facing right now, don’t rush it. Lean in to God. Listen to what He is really doing. Be patient in your affliction (Romans 12:12). God is doing something in you and for you. He wants you to grow through your suffering and not just get through your suffering.

Father, help me endure difficult circumstances with humility and trust. Teach me to slow down and grow in my suffering. I believe what You are doing in me is good. As painful as it may be, it is for my good. In Jesus’ name, amen.

How have you seen God do a good work in you from enduring suffering?

What is one way you think God wants you to suffer well right now?