Joy is supposed to be a defining characteristic of the Christian life. More specifically, and frankly a bit more ridiculously, joy amidst suffering is supposed to mark the life of a Christian. You have probably read or heard that somewhere already so you may be casually nodding in agreement right now like all good Christians do when they fail to think deeply about or take seriously what they have signed on for as disciples.
Jesus wasn’t in a campaign spin room trying to garner votes from a gullible, unsuspecting constituency when he said “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me... For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.” There are not a lot of democrats or republicans running for congress on the promise that a vote for them seals your own death. But Jesus has real guts.
The New Testament writers, who were the first to throw their lot in with him, and while still enduring the difficulty of their devotion, guaranteed that a life following Christ would be a life of suffering and not a life of ease. They even go a step further, as mentioned above, and essentially communicate that, “not only are you going to suffer, but you are going to like it.” Fewer people are nodding their approval at this point.
The Practical Implications of Rejoicing in Pain
Understand that functionally, James 1 admonishes the cancer patient to consider their condition and chemotherapy treatment “pure joy”. In Romans 5, Paul tells the mom who just miscarried to celebrate the loss of her baby. In Philippians 4, Paul also tells the recently fired husband and father who is facing foreclosure to rejoice in his unemployment and displacement. Anybody putting their name on the sign up sheet?
If you are like me, joy is hard enough to come by when things are going swimmingly, so the admonition to rejoice in the face of suffering should book a room in the asylum for the apostles. The most natural response is to consider them pure crazy for suggesting we should consider trials "pure joy." Yet, it's in God's word so there must be something to it.
A Biblical Classification for Pain
The Bible has a catch-all word for external circumstances that are beyond our control and cause us pain of various degrees and kinds. They are called “afflictions.” Your affliction may be physical, such as sickness, disease, injury or weariness. Your affliction may be emotional, caused by betrayal, abuse, isolation, loss, failure, or unfulfilled dreams. Your afflictions may be the result of circumstances such as natural disaster or a depressed economy, or they may be the result of sinful choices of others, such as persecution for being a Christian or someone deliberately deceiving you. Afflictions may come in the form of spiritual oppression that causes chaos, confusion and discouragement for no observable or definitive reason.
The Reality of Afflictions Throughout Scripture
Abraham and Sarah were afflicted when they used Hagar to try to force God’s hand, unable to wait for Him to fulfill His promise to give them a son (Gen. 16). Joseph was so afflicted when he faced his brothers who had sold him into slavery that he sent them away so he could weep in private (Gen. 45:1). Hannah was afflicted over her barrenness, which caused her deep distress and to weep bitterly (1 Sam. 1). David was afflicted when he wrote “Why are you downcast, oh my soul? Why are you in turmoil within me?” (Psalm 42:6). Jeremiah was afflicted when he cried out to God “Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?” (Jer. 12:1). Job was afflicted when he asked, “Why did I not die at birth, come out from the womb and expire?” (Job 3:11). Habakkuk was afflicted when he wrote, “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?” (Hab. 1:2). John the Baptist was afflicted when he sat in a prison cell wondering if Jesus really was the Messiah. Jesus himself was afflicted to the point of sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he asked the Father, “if you are willing, remove this cup from me” (Luke 22:42). Jesus was further afflicted as he hung on the cross, crying out, “Father, Father, why have you forsaken me?”
One of the priceless treasures in Scripture is the testimony of faithful men and women throughout human history which give authentic and often raw expression to their grappling with sorrow, confusion, pain, loss and suffering. While the biblical narrative engages these realities, overly sanitized religion leaves little room for such wrestling. Many of us were sold a simpleton’s gospel that promised happiness, comfort and ease of life in exchange for outward compliance with a particular standard of morality, sometimes cloaked in spiritual language and sometimes not.
Some church sub-cultures respond to suffering and pain with “let go and let God”, which sounds spiritual on the surface, but is more likely to incite a brawl then offer genuine comfort. Heaviness of heart, sorrow and grief are too often seen as signs of immaturity. These tendencies ignore legitimate questions and insult those who pose them, exchanging transformational truth for trite platitudes that are unhelpful at best. Employing cheap religious cliches as a fix for afflicted souls also squanders an opportunity to offer real wisdom from God and real hope from the gospel to those whose hearts are cracked open to Him through the suffering and sorrow that inevitably confront all men.
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