quick fixes

For every one shall be salted with fire. Salt is good: but if the salt has lost its saltiness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace one with another.
-- Mark 9:49-50

when my mark study group went over this passage at summer con, one of the implications we drew was that suffering and pain are good. yes, suffering is good. because through suffering we are purified, and through purification we can become closer to God.

so, if i learned that suffering is so good, and allows us to develop deeper relationships with God, why have i been denying myself such opportunities toward growth and a deeper faith? why, in the midst of my suffering, am i cursing God and doubting whether or not he loves me? instead of pursuing a holier me and embracing the suffering and the resulting purification, why am i asking God for a quick fix and not to allow me to learn anything from my situation but rather to end the suffering right away?

because, if i embrace this suffering, i am embracing pain. i am embracing hardship. i am embracing punishment. i am accepting the fact that to follow God--it won't always be easy and there will be a lot of work, a lot of blood, a lot of sweat, and a lot of tears.

we all, as individuals, face struggles every day. in my case, i'm referring to the pain of the laser treatments and the facial extraction procedures i've been undergoing in order to rid my face of acne. in the grand scheme of things, though, my pain is nothing. Jesus underwent the ultimate pain of all. he died on the cross--for me, for you, and for the whole world. and, if he says that suffering is good, then he of all people should know. and, if he died on the cross for me, experiencing that unfathomable amount of pain, then this struggle of mine is something i can get through. Christ strengthens me and in him all things are possible. why should i be afraid? even if i don't know why and what will come of this suffering, i must leave it all in his hands, trust that he will heal me in his time, and be open to how God is making me a better living sacrifice for him.