“God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.”  John 3:16

“To love is to suffer, and there can be no love otherwise.” Fyodor Dostoevsky

“The love of Christ compels us, for He who died (in love) for all invites us to live in love for Him and others.”  2 Corinthians 5:14

From. For. With.  Only prepositions, but key descriptions when it comes to suffering . . . and love. 

What is it that you are suffering from in your life?

Who is it that you are suffering for?

Who is it that you are suffering with?

Life is filled with suffering.  There are simply too many types of suffering to enumerate.  For us personally suffering may be caused by another person, some tragic event that befalls us unexpectedly and inexplicably, or from something that we bring on ourselves.  The question is not whether we will suffer, but what shape and size it will take, and even more importantly how we will cope with the suffering.  What will we cling to in order to have some stability until the crisis passes?

Herein lies the purpose of Christ and the beauty of the cross.  The Christ life is a life of suffering, both His and ours.  But it is not pointless or purposeless suffering; rather it is a suffering in love.

It is for love that Christ came into this world, as the familiar and dearly loved passage from John the Beloved disciple makes clear.  It is for love that Christ suffered the ignoble birth and a life that began as a refugee.  It is for love that Christ received criticism from His compatriots.  It is for love that He lived a life that was anything but comfortable, with “no place to lay his head.”  It is for love that He sought out those who were least loveable, even and especially at the high personal cost of being castigated.  It is for love that Christ gave Himself over to betrayal by those who were supposed to love Him.  It is for love that Christ allowed Himself to be ridiculed and rejected.  It is for love that Christ carried His cross and was crucified.  And it is for love that in the midst of suffering He cried out in a prayer of love for all people, even and especially for those who were and are least loving.  It is for love that Christ suffers for the world, and for you, and for me.

But not only does He suffer for, He also suffers with. And herein lies the truly tragic beauty of Christ and the cross, and the uniquely inestimable worth of His life, death, and resurrection.  Christ suffers with those who are suffering.

Ponder that for a moment.  In our time of greatest need, when we are broken down and are no longer able to bear up under the burdens of life, Christ, who bore the burden of the cross, is with us to bear with us in love.  When we have been abandoned and abused by those who claimed to love us, Christ, who was also abandoned and abused, is with us to lovingly assure us that He will never leave or forsake us.  When we have been beaten down by all of the suffering in the world, be it our own or that of others, Christ, who was also beaten down and raised up, first on the cross, and then on the third day of resurrection, reminds and reassures us that He loves us and will raise us up with Him.

For me, this is what makes Christ unique, and following Him in faith invaluable.  To know Christ, and His suffering love, and to be comforted by it so that we can in turn comfort others, as Paul says in the Corinthian passage.  To be able to reflect on our lives and see that in the darkest times, the times when we felt most alone, Christ was with us, right there in the midst of our suffering though we may not have realized it, is nothing short of miraculous.  And it is so reassuring to know that whatever suffering awaits, whatever we are suffering from, Christ has not only suffered for this, but will be suffering with us as well. 

^“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are afflicted, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.” 2 Corinthians 1