Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
It is common that we associate suffering as a curse. In that same logic, we believe that suffering is the opposite of blessing. Suffering is not always a curse. Suffering can be a blessing. It doesn’t mean that you will go around smiling while you are experiencing your trials and tribulations. It doesn’t mean that we break a leg and thanking God that you didn’t break both. I mean, if you’re a glass half full kind of person, you definitely can do that. It’s not necessarily that we rejoice about what’s happening to us, it’s about rejoicing for what it will produce. Sufferings produces endurance. We shouldn’t stop, we shouldn’t break. We should endure. And with that endurance we produce character. Suffering serves as a refining fire. Through our endurance, we become stronger. We become tried and true. Our character becomes proven. And through our character, our endurance produces hope. We grow in hope. Our endurance gives us hope that we will inherit His promises. It gives us hope that we really do want the glory of God. So realize that sometimes we must suffer. We must travel through the fire. Not to be punished, but to be blessed.
Spiritual Steve 