Have you ever done something really difficult, but you enjoyed it because it was for someone?

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For example, me and my sister stayed up really late one night a few years ago to decorate the house, because it was the day before our dad’s birthday, and we wanted him to be surprised in the morning. I didn’t want to stay up late, but I had a fun time for two reasons: I knew it would make my dad happy, and secondly, it was better because I was doing it with my sister.  

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I think Christianity can be like this sometimes. It’s hard to be a Christian, for many different reasons, but it can be easier. First off—because you’re doing it for God’s will, and to make him happy, like me setting up birthday decorations for my dad. Secondly, you aren’t alone, and there are other people ready to come alongside you.

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Of course, staying up late and fighting off sleep isn’t as serious as anything the disciples faced in the Bible. In one passage, the apostles are captured and beaten for preaching in the temple. And after they are released, the disciples praised God because they were “counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” (Acts 5:17-42). Just like in today’s verse: “Rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings.”  

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I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely not very good about rejoicing in sufferings! It’s amazing that the disciples were actually joyful about being literally beaten.  

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An important thing to remember when going through “sufferings” is the fact that you aren’t alone. Walking through trials can get so much easier when you aren’t shouldering the burden by yourself. A few Sundays back, Pastor Brian mentioned not wanting to share sins or struggles because of pride, and how it’s okay to “embarrass yourself,” to admit you’re wrestling with something and allow people to help you. A lot of people struggle with feeling like a burden when saying “I need help,” even if there are people waiting to assist you. It helps to think of it this way: a burden is something you are forced to carry and deal with, but allowing people to help is something you can choose – because they care, not because they are being forced to “deal with” you.  

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And there’s more to going through trials than the actual trial—it’s the way you come out of it and what you learn from it that counts. God often uses tests to teach us something or build character, and like it says in today’s verse, the point is “…that you may rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” Ask God today to change your heart and perspective on your sufferings in the same way he did for the apostles, that his glory would be the most important thing you see in the midst of suffering.  

Dear God, Thank you for this day. Thank you for everything that you’ve given me today, and for the trials that you give me. Please help me to see the blessing in the hardship, and to understand that even when I’m going through a hard time, you’re trying to teach me something. Please help me to look for what you’re teaching me. Amen.