Bible Verse: “…we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4
Scripture Reading: Romans 5:1-11
“Raise your hand if you’ve been through seasons of suffering,” the pastor said. Most hands in the room shot up.
“Put your hand down if you wish you hadn’t experienced those hard things.” Hands dropped.
“Raise your hand again if you learned invaluable lessons and become more like Jesus through your suffering.” Many of the hands went back up.
The other night, my wife and I were talking about a hard season one of our kids is facing. I fell asleep that night with a rock in my stomach, aching for my child’s aches.
When our kids hurt, we hurt. Most parents instinctively desire their child’s pain to end. Often, we go into “papa bear” mode, fighting for our kids. Insecure and shy parents suddenly berate that teacher or principal, pull them out of those lessons, encourage them to quit that job, drop that class, and ditch that selfish friend. We help them flee difficulty and pain.
What if our kids need to suffer to become who God made them to be?
Do you long for your kid to experience healthy friendships and marriage? To find and thrive in a career? To excel in a sport or hobby?
Do you long for your kid to follow Christ and embrace their part in His body? To embody God’s sacrificial, risky, and courageous love? To share Christ and live for Him in a cultural moment that may not be hospitable to Christ’s way?
What if our kids need to suffer to become who God made them to be?
There are times we need to go “papa bear” and advocate on our kids’ behalf, but we must also not forget to let suffering teach our kids what we cannot.
One of the most unpopular Biblical truths is that God works in and through suffering. The apostle Paul writes about salvation by faith, and his next words in Romans 5 are about the role of suffering leading to perseverance, character, hope, and a deeper experience of God’s love.
What if our kids need to suffer, and what if we can trust God to be at work in the midst of it?
I pray that you’ll discern when to make things easier for your kids, and when to let them face and experience pain and difficulty, so that they might come to know Christ and become more like Him.
Prayer: Lord, I don’t like to suffer and like it even less when my kids suffer. Give me the wisdom to know when to step in and when to let them figure it out with You. Use the hard things to shape my kids into who You want them to be. Amen.
Reflection: Much of Western culture assumes that pain is bad and that we should get out of it as quickly as possible. Why do you think that is? Where do you see exceptions (like embracing the pain of exercise to get a better-looking body)? Where might Christians begin to embrace the counter-cultural message of embracing suffering in our daily lives?
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