I am used to caring for those who suffer. Yet somehow, one cold January afternoon, I found myself lying on the snowy ground in the backwood mountains of Idaho. Looming above me, one of my fellow physicians stared through a gaping hole in my leg at my plainly visible femoral vein. After losing control of my snowmobile, I had slammed into a tree going 25 mph during a wilderness medicine training. I had become the patient. I had become the sufferer.
In his book, A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis writes “We are promised sufferings. They were part of the program…and I accept it. I’ve got nothing that I hadn’t bargained for… Of course it is different when the thing happens to oneself, not to others, and in reality, not imagination.”
I believe it is important for all of us to at times be “the sufferer.” Moments—and sometimes seasons—of suffering are important for the spreading of the gospel, the advancement of the church, the growth of our faith, and most importantly for bringing glory to God.
Suffering Spreads the Gospel
Following my collision with the tree, I spent two hours wrapped snugly in sleeping bags and rope, pulled on a sled behind a snowmobile. It was a slow, bumpy journey, and one of my colleagues graciously offered to ride in the back of the sled with me.
During this escapade, somehow, we found ourselves talking about the topic of general revelation. As we bounced over the snowy hills, I told my peer—a staunch admirer of creation, though a non-believer—all about God’s means of speaking to us through creation. With nothing else to do and nowhere else to be, two hours quickly passed in a deep discussion of faith and purpose. This colleague, and many others, told me afterwards how surprised they were by my calmness despite my trauma. I could attribute it to nothing more than my faith and peace in Christ and in God the Father, who is “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Ps. 46:1, see also Ps. 118:5–6, Phil. 4:6–7).
What we often find is that instances of suffering naturally awaken deep, meaningful conversation and gingerly open doors to share the heart of our faith that we might otherwise hold back.
As Christians, suffering should not surprise us. The apostle Peter tells us “Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you…but rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:12–13). We do not suffer as punishment for anything, nor to compensate for something lacking in Christ’s own suffering on the cross—for that was a righteous and sufficient sacrifice for our salvation in and of itself (Hebrews 2:10). And yet, we are called to share in Christ’s suffering so that we may be more like Christ (2 Tim. 1:8-9; Phil. 1:29). Philippians 1:19–30 describes that to live in suffering is to live in a Christ-like way, because through it we share with others the reminder that he suffered on our behalf to cover our sins. Nineteenth century Scottish author and minister George MacDonald writes that “The Son of God suffered unto the death, not that men might not suffer, but that their sufferings might be like his.”
When we have passed through seasons of trials, we have firsthand experience of both Christ’s sustaining grace and his purposeful design which we can then eagerly share with others (2 Cor. 1:4). Suffering reminds us of the grace we have received and in overwhelming response, we then proclaim it to the world.
Suffering Advances the Church
Galatians 6 calls the church to “bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2). In the days that followed the surgical repair of my wounds, our congregation lived out this scripture well as they stopped by in waves with groceries, meals, and innumerable offers to help.
In our modern culture, there is a drive to be independent and self-sustaining. Yet, as the church, we are called to live faith-filled lives together—as one family in Christ. Sometimes, suffering knocks open the barriers we have created around our self-sufficient natures and humbly opens a space for the church to live out its calling to serve and to love.
In 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul described this unique gift of the church. He writes, “Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort” (2 Cor. 1:7). The church is meant to live together through both joy and pain. Enduring seasons of suffering in this way strengthens the bonds of the congregation and shows the world the importance of this selfless fellowship.
Suffering Grows Our Faith
Reviewing the operative report after my trauma surgery, I realized that I had been only millimeters from severing my femoral artery during my accident, and if I had, I would have either bled out or lost my right leg.
Reflecting on this, I was reminded both of my own fragility and also of the Lord who sustains. The Heidelberg Catechism Question and Answer 1 asks, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” The response is that “I am not my own, but belong body and soul, in life and in death, to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ…He watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven” (Matt. 10:29–31; Luke 21:16–18).
Seasons of suffering strengthen our faith, as they remind us to rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that we have the hope of Christ, so we can, “rejoice in our sufferings…because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:3–5). This is not a promise that the Lord will protect us from all harm, but a reminder that he remains in control and that we can rest in his faithful arms despite suffering. This is the good news that draws us ever closer to him.
Our Present Hope
God does not create suffering to test or to punish us. He uses it to bring about his goodness and glory. In Genesis, when Joseph is at long last reunited with the brothers who treated him so wickedly, he states “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). This is true of our present suffering as well. The Lord uses the brokenness of the world and brings about his goodness and glory through it. This is our present hope. As RC Sproul writes at the end of Surprised by Suffering, “hope beyond suffering is the legacy of Christ. It is the promise of God to all who put their trust in him.” It is through suffering that we grow in faith, that we learn to cling to the church, that the Gospel is proclaimed, and that the Lord is glorified. To God be the glory…even in suffering!
Footnotes
C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed. (San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001), 31.
George MacDonald, Unspoken Sermons. First Series. As cited in C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, (New York, NY: Macmillan, 1947), p. vi.
R.C. Sproul, Surprised by Suffering, (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1988), 17.
