Mar 25 - "Bad Days"

"It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings." --- Hebrews 2:5-10
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Are you having a bad day? A bad week...month...year...years? Has your life seemingly been on one continuing string of hard times and bad luck?

We all have these times. They can come in the form of something small, such as that person who cuts you off in traffic, picking the wrong and very slow line at the grocery store or just one of those general "grumpy" times we have for apparently no reason. However, these times can also be major life changes and tragic events such as losing your job or other economic hardship, a chronically debilitating illness or even the death of a close friend of family member. All of these things cause us to suffer, bring us pain.

The topic of why we suffer and why we have to experience pain while in our human form has been debated and discussed for probably as long as we have existed. I won't try, in a short posting, to offer some explanation as to why this happens; why bad things sometimes happen to us. Some would say, "It builds character"; "No pain, no gain"; "The sweet ain't as sweet without the bitter". But all of these points of view don't really offer anything besides a way to deal with the suffering and endure it.

Let me offer, though, that even God is not beyond suffering. During Jesus' life, we see Him experience sadness, torment, loss and great pain as He went up to death. All of these things happened so that we would be able to see that these things are an unfortunate part of our life on earth. Yes, suffering often makes us better, as gold is refined in the crucible, but even though it is hard, we can see that God was also willing to suffer for us in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ.

So, when you suffer, look to Jesus as your companion. Recognize that He also suffered as a man while on the earth with us. He felt pain, loss and death, just as we have and we will. Know that our God loves us so much the He too was willing to suffer with us and for us...and along side us even today. But also be comforted that even though we have a partner in our suffering in Jesus, this too shall pass and we will certainly be with Him at the end of our days in a place where there is no pain and suffering will be a distant, faded memory.