“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church…” ~ Colossians 1:24
Life on earth was never meant to be easy. Everyone suffers, some more than others. Because of our collective sin, we have lost the goodness and purity of Eden. As a race, we are constantly looking for happiness, striving for a better day when pain shall cease. This verse turns this worldly truth upside down.
As Christians, we are promised a life in Christ, but that is not one of perfection on earth. It is through our sorrows that we find joy, through our darkest moments that we find God. Jesus came down to earth not for a holiday, although He rightfully deserved one as King; He came to suffer like no man ever has, and die for the ones He created. It makes no sense. But there you have it, with this faith beyond all faiths and a God whose Love is unfathomable to the tiny human mind.
If He came to heal and save, what of the pain that remains to this day? Aren’t we set free, made whole again? Spiritually redeemed but the fact remains that our flesh still exists in this world. We have not yet come to the gates of heaven. The sufferings of Christ thus continue in us if we are to carry the cross for His sake and those who have yet to find Him. And carry the cross we must.
The Apostle Paul teaches us what we ought to do with the sufferings of Jesus. We must rejoice. We must be honoured that for the sake of our Lord, we suffer. We are worthy enough for the King’s cause, for Him to choose us to represent Him as a light unto this world. Our pains may not be unique, but the way we respond and suffer them, will testify Christ within.
There is always room for more sacrifice, less pleasure. And in the spaces we find between, we are to embody the afflictions of Christ. There are so many ways to be Christ-like from humility to love. Even if we aren’t being directly persecuted for our faith, there is much more we can do to spread Jesus to the ends of the earth. We are comfortable, in this part of the world, and know not what it means to be martyred and to not have the freedom of worship and fellowship.
The more we suffer in Christ, the more we carry His broken heart in ours, the more we shall see. Christ came to suffer not so that we never have to, but so that we may suffer with Him. Our trials bond us together, give us a common ground and vision, and create a unity. Knowing a bit of Jesus’ pain brings us closer to His Kingdom, closer to the foot of the cross.
We are not a faith of luxury or glamour; we have so much more. I connect deeply with Psalm 22 and I thank God for giving me my arthritis because that brings me closer to Christ. Anything we find we have in common with our Saviour deepens our relationship all the more. Nothing else on earth could afford that, only suffering. Jesus Christ has been called the Man of Sorrows, how can we then as His believers, followers, and children be otherwise? Suffering for the salvation of mankind and for the eternal kingdom — we have been called on this mission and journey before we leave this place. O how wondrous, deep, and everlasting are the mysteries of God indeed!
