Thursday, June 07, 2012

Suffering or Struggling? Which One?



As Christians, we can have days when we enjoy our own personal pity party; this happens but we shouldn't live there.  Many Christians and non-Christians alike say they are suffering when in reality, they are struggling. We all struggle but we are not always suffering. If we have no recognition of "struggling," we then deduce we must be suffering.

Suffering is defined as "the bearing of pain, inconvenience, loss, distress, injury incurred ("not imagined"--my comment), sorrow, grief, etc."

Struggle is defined "to strive or make efforts, use great effort, labor hard, to contend forcibly, "to struggle with adversity", or avert an evil..., contend, contention, and strife."

 Fredrich Nietzsche said, "To live is to suffer; to survive is to find meaning in the suffering."

 The Bible says in Ephesians 6:12: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

 We are "struggling" most of the time, not suffering. Remember whom we struggle against--it is the evil one, not one another. Struggle on brother and sister; let’s be here for one another. When suffering comes, will we be ready to be there for one another in our time of need?


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