streams

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Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Purposeful Suffering

“Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.” (Matthew 11:26 KJV)
When our son was a baby, we used to take him to a clinic to get his vaccines. Since I couldn’t bear to watch the baby suffer, my husband would volunteer to hold our son in his lap while the shots were administered by the nurse. Our son always looked up accusingly at his dad as he cried. Why are you allowing this to happen? Why are you trying to hold me still while I’m going through pain? As parents, we knew that the pain of immunization was a necessary part of immunizing our child against harmful diseases. But we couldn’t explain that to a baby.  
Most of the adversity we experience in this life may appear pointless. We wonder why God, our loving Father, would allow this to happen. We assume He is either uncaring or incapable. Jesus suffered for a purpose, although it may have seemed pointless at the time to observers. Similarly, we may feel that the afflictions we go through are useless, but they may be a necessary part of our growth. 
Lord, what seems like pointless suffering in our eyes has a purpose in your eyes; otherwise you wouldn’t allow it. Grant that we may trust you.

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