How do we face suffering? I doubt
anyone actually takes pleasure in it, but what is our true attitude towards
pain?
What would be our reaction if an enemy of state
knocked at our door? Would we chase him away? Would we denounce him? Or would we
help him? But this final choice could potentially put us in a lot of trouble,
resulting in a lot of unnecessary suffering. What would we really do?
, with her husband Jacques Harel, were peaceful
farmers at Beaumoncel Manor in Camembert, France. One day, during the French
Revolution, Abbot Bonvoust knocked at their door requesting shelter. He was
wanted by the new regime. His life was at stake, and now his problems had
reached these peaceful peasants.
Both husband and wife were undeterred. The right thing
to do was to offer the abbot a haven, and so they kept him at their farm.
During that time, the abbot, who was from Brie,
offered some wise advice about maturing cheeses. This led to the invention of
Camembert cheese, which would become one of the most famous cheeses in the
world.
Had Marie Catherine refused the abbot shelter, she
would have never invented Camembert cheese, a cheese that would become so
famous, that during World War I, the French military authorities insisted on
including it in their soldiers’ rations!
Suffering may not be our cup of tea, but it can lead
to tremendous blessing!
Jesus also suffered the impossible. Death on a cross
was the goriest death possible, a death by slow asphyxiation. Still, "During the
days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent
cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was
heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he
learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he
became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him"
(Hebrews 5:7-9, NIV2)
The problem with most of us is that we have a problem
with suffering. Such situations cause many of us to swear or to doubt God. Still
others feel forlorn, sure that God has abandoned them! The problem is, we’ve all
missed the boat!
How so? Let’s remember that suffering was never in
God’s perfect plan from the beginning, and it has been banned from anyone
bathing in God’s presence for eternity (see Rev. 21:4). The day we began to
listen to the evil one however, the one called “liar” in God’s Holy Book (see
John 8:44), suffering came upon us. Our arch-enemy is the source of the
suffering, not God! He is the real cause, the real enemy! It is his goal to
distance us completely from God’s eternal love, and to do so, he insinuates
throughout our trials that God can’t be trusted! It’s when we fall into his
deadly traps that we become alienated from the One who loves us eternally!
Yet even though we chose a path at Eden that God would
never have chosen for us, we are not left to the devices of the devil in our
moments of suffering! The thing we must always remember is this: It is
especially in the midst of our pain that we can most experience God’s grace!
Suffering is an opportunity for us to experience God fully, to discover that His
will is so much better than our own. Unlike the rest of us who tend to hurt each
other in every way possible, especially when we are under attack, God always has
our best interest at heart! It’s amidst our pain that we learn true obedience!
It’s when suffering knocks on our door that we have the opportunity to show who
we truly serve, either ourselves (to the evil one’s delight) or God. Who is in
control after all?
Notice that Jesus’ prayers were heard because of His
reverent submission. Notice also that Jesus learned perfect obedience from what
he suffered. And this led to something much better than Camembert cheese: He
became the source of eternal salvation!
Maybe it is time that we consider opening the door,
even if we know that suffering awaits us on the other side. May we always make
the right choice, no matter our circumstances. For we never know when our
suffering may lead to the invention of something as profitable and well-known as
Camembert cheese!
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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