“For a little while you must endure suffering.  This has come so that your faith—more precious than gold which is refined by fire—may be proven genuine.” The First Epistle of St. Peter, Chapter One

“We prefer to let the accidental trash of life be consumed by suffering so that God may be glorified in everything we do.” Thomas Merton

What is one of the worst things you’ve ever suffered in your life?

What suffering are you experiencing in your life right now?

Suffering leads us to ask profound questions such as, “What’s the point of this suffering?” Or “Why does God allow such seemingly senseless suffering?”

This whole topic of suffering is far too extensive for me to address in a short blog.  So, I want to look at just one aspect of it, which hopefully will help to at least partially address those questions. It is what I’d like to call “transformative suffering.” What is transformative suffering? It is utilizing the suffering we experience in life to transform us, enabling us to become to live more fully into our true divine identity. What are the four components of transformative suffering? 

The first is to see suffering with a divine perspective. It is common for people to see suffering as punitive, profane, or simply pointless. But from the perspective of God, suffering, in fact, can be sacred. It is sacred because Christ himself suffered. And He is the Holy One. It is also sacred because it is amid suffering that one often times most clearly experiences the presence of God. 

The second is to see suffering as a conjoining, a uniting, with Christ. The point of the crucifixion of Christ is not merely to provide proof of divine love and forgiveness, but to convey the truth that God knows personally what it is to suffer and promises to be with us in the midst of our suffering.  The early martyrs knew this, which is what enabled them to so bravely give themselves over to persecution and death.

The third is to see suffering as the refining process of faith. The quotes above address this.  Suffering is a purification, an elimination of the dross in our lives, a discarding of the trash, so that all that is left is gold.

Finally, suffering leads to resurrection. It is through Christ’s suffering that He died and rose again.  We are in the fall season, a time when nature itself reminds us that in order to have new life something must die.  It is the rhythm of life, reflected around us every day. This is the rhythm of our life as well.  The resurrection means that we live forever in the presence of God, not just someday but now.  And after we die and are finally united to divine love our spirits continues to live in love, filling those we love. 

Please don’t misunderstand, I do not in any way wish to make light of the horrible suffering that people experience on a daily basis, some of which is unimaginable to many of us.  Nor am I discounting whatever it is you’re suffering in your life at this present time.  My intention is merely to cast a different light on it; a divine light. And extending an invitation that rather than rejecting suffering, by the grace of God may you embrace it. And in so doing be transformed into the image and the likeness of Christ.