“You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, that our
visit to you was not a failure. You know how badly we had been treated at
Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God
gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great
opposition. So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure
motives or trickery.” 1 Thessalonians 2:1-3 NLT
Derek Redmond was a great Olympic sprinter. In the 1992 Olympic Games, he was running
well in his event, the 400 Meters, winning his first two qualifying heats with
ease. In the semifinal, he started well,
but midway through the race, something went terribly wrong. He tore his right hamstring, and knelled to
the ground in sheer agony. Not to be
deterred, he stood up, and hobbled on his good leg the next 100 meters even
though the other competitors had already finished the race. Still having another 100 meters to go, he was
joined by a familiar face that would walk with him the rest of the way; his
father. As he sobbed on his father’s
shoulder for the remaining 50 meters, the crowd at the stadium, which first started
with a courteous applause, now had begun to cheer … louder and louder as they
got closer to the finish line until his father and him crossed it. In Derek’s pain and suffering, he still lost
a race. Because his father helped him
across, he was disqualified. However, he
gained a world of fans and appreciators that watched his heroic feat. No one remembers who won the race or even the
gold medal for the 400 meters that year.
Everyone remembered that moment (https://youtu.be/t2G8KVzTwfw).
Some of you cannot relate to this kind of story, but many of
us had parents who sacrificed a lot to ensure we could have a better life. If so, I hope you appreciate all your parents
did for you as mine did for me. They many
times struggled, but it was the pain of that struggle that allowed my brothers
and me to do two things. First, it set a
standard for all our children to follow.
Second, it garnered attention that served as a platform to speak about who
we are and who we serve. These are the
things that had me think about the writers of the Books of Thessalonians. Like many of the early Christians, they
suffered for what they believed in to reach something greater. Something more important than a race. Instead, it was the salvation of all mankind. It reminded me of a saying my mother told me
and what many of you have heard before; no pain, no gain.
Suffering is the currency of living a faithful life serving
God. Paul’s writing to the Thessalonians
speaks of the suffering they encountered prior to their writing. It is not the suffering that is of the
greatest fascination. It is clearly the
‘why’ behind it. They saw a greater good
in their suffering. It allowed them to
share the Good News of Christ. It’s the
suffering that gives credibility to their teaching. We often look at suffering as tests of faith,
and that is often true. However, it is usually
in preparation for something bigger that God has in store for you if you are
willing to endure what comes with it. We
must prayerfully discuss with God His purpose, and remember the words of Hebrews
10:23, which says, “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm,
for God can be trusted to keep his promise.”
While no one should look to suffer, we should always view it
through a Godly lens. Jesus Himself did
not want to endure the suffering that came with the crucifixion saying in the
beginning of Mark 14:36, “Abba, Father,” he
cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take
this cup of suffering away from me.” But
as we read the latter half, He acknowledged the ‘why’ behind His suffering showing
love for both God and us completing His thought saying, “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Whenever we are faced with suffering, let us
remember our ‘why’ knowing there is something greater God has planned for His
purpose. What pain and suffering are you
enduring today that could use a Godly perspective? What lessons from the suffering of Jesus and
Paul can you draw from in your life? My
prayer is that we remember the purpose of suffering along with the saying, ‘No
pain, no gain.’ Amen.
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