WHERE I'M HEADED

...that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death... Phil 3:10

 

One of my goals in life has been to avoid suffering. I hate it. I hate to suffer and I hate to see people suffer. I avoid it at all costs. I'm just being honest. I told a friend this morning,

"I'm sensitive to suffering. I'm just not made that way."

Lie.

The truth is, I like to be comfortable. I like to be safe. I don't want to see or experience suffering. It's a drag. It's annoying sometimes. It sucks the life out of me. It makes me sad.

But I'm learning that sometimes the only way to

secret, holy places

is through suffering.

How can I truly know the POWER of the resurrection

if I skip over the part about Christ's suffering?

Some of us have grown up talking about the resurrection of Jesus 

as if it were just another story in the Bible. 

We've lost the sense of astonishment, wild excitement, heart-pounding joy 

of a Warrior King who defeated death and ransomed our very lives.

Tomorrow I'm taking a trip and meeting some women who have suffered beyond anything I've ever experienced. I will be receiving some training and volunteering in a shelter for women who have been rescued from sexual trafficking. I'm leaving tomorrow, and I have no idea what this will look like or what I will learn. But how can I refuse? 

I am determined to share in suffering this weekend. 

I will share in suffering because I know 

there is POWER in the consuming fire that is God's love for humanity.

I don't often ask for prayer on this blog, but if you're a praying person, today I am asking for it. And I'm wondering...

Have you ever walked through suffering yourself?

Have you ever walked through it with someone else?

How did that impact you?