Embracing The Pain
Finding joy in every pain
Enduring is painful.
Have you ever wondered why? Why is it that when we hear endurance, it’s like a wet floor sign that we try to avoid?
If we can’t avoid it, can’t we just at least evade the pain and just endure it? Surely, endurance is not a wet floor sign.
Perhaps, we’re asking the wrong question. Pain is necessary for endurance. Even before the word endurance existed, there was pain already. Pain that is caused by sin. Thus, endurance is inevitable because of pain. The right question we should be asking is, “How do we endure despite the present pain?”
“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.” (Hebrews 12:2)
Did you know that Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith? If there’s someone who knows how to endure, He’s the perfect guy.
The writer of Hebrews said what Jesus has done; Jesus endured because of the joy that was set before Him. This means that we can only endure the pain if there’s a joy that is set before us.
With that comes the question, ‘What is a joy for Jesus?’
For Jesus, it is to reunite us with the Father, to restore our relationship with Him as His covenant people, and to give delight in the gift of eternal life for all people is the greatest joy of Jesus. This is the reason why Jesus embraced the cross. Endurance for Jesus then is embracing the joy of what the cross brings.
If what we see is Jesus carrying the cross, the pain, the calvary, and death. Then we will miss out on the greatness and majesty of Christ’s endurance.
Embrace something we give to what we value.
We embrace someone we love, someone who gives us joy, peace, identity, and purpose. We see the pain in endurance because there’s no joy in it.
When Jesus was carrying the cross, He was actually embracing humanity. You are the joy that was set before Him. You are His joy.
Jesus is telling you,
“I love you. I’ll give you my life so that you can fulfill your dreams. I’ll give you everything so that you can enjoy life. I’ll give you a better world so that you won’t be sad anymore. I’ll give you this heart, my heart so that you can love and be loved again. Hey! I love you. You’re my joy.”
Find joy in every situation, even if it’s painful and hard at the moment. Jesus’ compassion moved Him that He came back to life! Your joy will determine how you will endure.
Because of joy and eternal value, Jesus endured the cross. There’s eternal peace, the forgiveness of sins, and redemption to the Father so that we may experience Him here on earth as it is in Heaven. Jesus gave us the best example of how to endure.
It will be painful, but when we rejoice in every situation, it allows us to honor Him through our sufferings. God invites us to this journey not to suffer, but to be steadfast.
So, How do we endure despite the present pain? We endure because Jesus is our joy.
Originally published at Enduring Generation — Running the Race, To See His Face (wordpress.com)
