Suffering

2 Corinthians 4:10
Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. (NLT)

I cannot image the suffering Paul went through in his walk with Jesus. We read about it, but can we really comprehend it? Others are suffering in much the same way in third world countries today, but we do not see it. We hear about it from time to time and take time to pray for them, but thank God it is not close to home.

Bad things do happen to us, just not at the level of what Paul is speaking about. We have our challenges, but usually not life threatening ones. Our level of belief is not dependant on what we have gone through. A person who has had to suffer little may have a stronger faith than others who have come from the bottom of life.

I would not say they have missed the suffering because of their belief. Paul believed, yet he suffered daily. Our walk with Jesus is not about avoiding suffering. It is about having Jesus at our side as we get through the troubling times in our lives.

As others see us living out our good and our bad times, they see the evidence of Jesus. May our lives be a reflection of Him in our bodies.