The Perfect Sufferer

I believed that a good sufferer was synonymous with a graceful sufferer, a joyful sufferer, or a perfectly balanced sufferer. I had convinced myself that as the waves threw me against the rock of Christ, I couldn't get wet. Or as I stepped through the pit of fire, my hair must not be singed. But there's only one person who can do anything perfectly, and what a blessing it is to say that's Christ.

God calls us to bare our weaknesses before him and display our broken state whenever we face trials.

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV.

It is His delight to protect His children with rod and staff, and it's our great blessing to take part in that. But how often do we show our naked struggles to anyone--friend, family, or even God? We might briefly explain that we could use some extra prayers this week and share the crust of our problem, but we keep the meat of our struggles to ourselves. The thing is, the harder we grip onto our circumstances thinking we can wring them dry, the less we allow God to touch and knead them apart.

The Lord blessed me with many similar instances all at the same time. I kept running into friends and coworkers who would say things that needled this idea of perfection out of my head. One gentle woman explained to me that we don't always have to love from an overflowing heart. We might be slowly broken down from our circumstances, but that's expected of the Christian life--we have the privilege of turning to God for help. It's not a sign of weak faith that we struggle. In fact, it's a great indicator that we are not lukewarm Christians that show no threat to Satan, but that our dedication to the Lord is steadfast and unyielding. This idea brought great clarity to the idea that I had to struggle 'better'--whatever that means.

My heart held no desire to show my weaknesses, whether to the people around me or to God himself. It was an uphill battle on roller-skates, and though God let down a rope for me, I kept driving my wheels over it convinced that I would come out the other side of this trial more radiant than ever. It's only because of his gracious love and patience that He's shown me the path of suffering and how beautiful His providence is through such a season.