For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:5 NIV
God never promised anyone a life without pain. Oh! What wretched depths of despair we descend into when we expect that life will be filled with only happiness because we know the Savior. We begin to think that we are unloved by Christ, or we believe He is mean, powerless, or passive—and our hope fails. We must remember that God’s plan for our lives includes pain: “In this world you will have trouble,” but it also includes hope, “Take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NIV).
Until Christ returns, we live in the in-between, where His glory has not been fully revealed and we suffer. We must remember that in spite of what happens to us, God is good and He loves us, and He will ultimately make things right. Until then, we share in the sufferings of Christ and we wait. And with the power that comes from the Holy Spirit, we choose gratitude over self-pity and complaining. We cast our broken hearts, broken lives, and cares at His feet because He cares for us (see 1 Peter 5:7). We give Him our burdens, and in exchange, we receive rest (see Matthew 11:28).
Living the abundant Christian life isn’t about what happens to us. It’s about how we respond to what happens to us.
Lord, thank You that even though life is sometimes difficult, You have given me all I need to be an overcomer through faith in You. Amen.
Recommended Resource:
If you liked today’s reading, we recommend the newest edition of Daily Wisdom for Women Devotional Collection. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Related Readings:
CLICK HERE to discover more readings about perspective.
Today’s reading was adapted from Daily Wisdom for Women: 2017 Devotional Collection with permission from Barbour Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reading was written by Shana Schutte.