“Life’s not fair.” This is a refrain with which we all familiar. It is likely that a parent or a teacher or a coach or somebody said these words to us at some point in our childhood. Depending on how old we are, we may have uttered them to somebody else. We have an innate desire for things to work out in a way that benefit us. Yet despite the fact that God is gracious and gives us more good things that we could ever deserve, in our moment of pain, we often neglect to recall His generosity and focus on the hurt that we are currently experiencing.
However, I Peter 3:17 reminds us that while R.E.M was right and everybody does hurt sometimes, it is far better to suffer for the glory of God then as a result of His discipline. Jesus reminded us of this when, before healing the blind man, He stated that the reason for the man’s blindness was so that God could be glorified (John 9:1-3). Could you imagine the change of perspective that man had at the moment? Instead of seeing his blindness as a curse, it was an unique opportunity for God to use this man to draw others to Himself. In a way that few others could, this man could put God’s glory on display.
Everybody hurts, but not everyone suffers for Jesus’ sake. May we see our suffering for His sake as the privilege that it is.