Beyond Religion, Stoicism & Positivity

Today’s Everyday Light devotional by Selwyn Hughes tackles the universal challenge of human suffering. When faced with unmerited pain and injustice, simplistic solutions can feel inadequate. Stoicism’s call to endure with calm detachment, or positivity’s reframing of suffering as an opportunity, while noble, may sometimes ring hollow.

As Hughes insightfully notes, “anyone who [is] undisturbed by the problem of unmerited suffering [is] a victim of either a hardened heart or a softened brain.”

The reality is that mentally alert individuals, especially those who believe in a loving God, will grapple with this perplexing dilemma.

When we suffer due to no fault of our own, it’s easy to become embittered. We may retreat into denial, maintaining the trappings of faith while failing to wrestle honestly with the pain.

But Hughes points us to a better way – trusting that we are seen, heard, and held close by God, even in our darkest moments.

The apostle Paul offers profound insight on the purpose of suffering in Romans 8:18-21. He declares that “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Suffering, though excruciatingly real in the present, will ultimately give way to freedom and eternal splendor.

We would do well to emulate the example of Christ, who endured the ultimate injustice with redemptive purpose.

Jesus faced betrayal, abuse, humiliation, and excruciating crucifixion and spiritual abandonment. Yet, in spite of this, he cried out at last not in embitterment, but in final and unreserved trust, declaring “it is finished” with his last breath, wholly entrusting himself to the Father’s plan.

When we suffer, we can find solace in drawing near to this Savior who knows our pain intimately. And we can test the condition of our own hearts by the boldness of our prayers – do we make timid requests, or do we approach God’s throne with the audacious faith exemplified in Luke 11:9-13?

Just as a vanishing point in a painting creates depth, allowing distant objects to recede, our present suffering can fade from view as we fix our eyes on the glory to come. Through trusting our loving heavenly Father, our two-dimensional struggles take on three-dimensional meaning and depth.

Like a glorious sunrise breaking through darkness, the flat, monochrome painting of our binary lives comes into stark, vibrant 3-D relief – a rich, technicolor world.

The God who sees our pain ushers us from our limited reality into the freedom and splendor of His eternal kingdom.

No longer confined to a single plane, our once flattened existence blossoms into a breathtaking panorama, transformed by the redeeming light of our Heavenly Father – as the shadows of suffering fade, the true grandeur of our lives emerges.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You who experienced suffering in a way I will never know, hold me close to Your heart so that my sufferings will not demolish me, but develop me. For Your own dear Name’s sake. Amen.