Sanctified Distress

Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Romans 5:1-5

Most of us would like to be filled with hope, but we would rather avoid a path to it that begins with suffering. Paul does not suggest that suffering is sent by God to help us grow. We certainly do not need to seek out misery as an opportunity for self-improvement. Suffering will come to us at times through the actions and attitudes of others or through circumstances we cannot avoid. Scripture does not promise we will never hurt.

It does promise that, amid our sufferings, the Holy Spirit will be at work within us, building strength we will carry forward to other challenges. As we endure by God’s grace, we will develop character – a way of being in the world, an outlook of heart and mind – that relies on God’s grace and welcomes the Holy Spirit’s work. When we rely on God grace within us, we learn to look with hope for the good God will bring forth even in hard circumstances. Our sufferings become more about God’s track record than our own.

Scripture promises that God is always at work, even in the worst times, to remake us into the image of Christ. The hymn “How Firm a Foundation” puts God’s promise this way, “I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.”

God’s peace,

Katie