Suffer Quietly

1 Peter 2:20-22

But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. (1 Pet. 2:20)

IF I AM GOING TO SUFFER, someone is going to hear about it. Our natural reaction to suffering is to tell someone. We have a need to let others know what we went through. Ask any mother about childbirth and you will hear all about her suffering. We know life includes hardship, pain, and wrongdoing, but it does not seem very commendable. What makes our suffering laudable is our ability to endure. Christ demonstrated throughout His life how to bear the difficulties and ultimately suffer through death. The religious leaders were quick to turn His good works into law-breaking actions. What Jesus does not do serves as a model for us. He does not rehash the events with His disciples or go into the crowds to preach about the injustice He experienced. By enduring the suffering He made himself admirable. Telling others of our experience gives us the recognition rather than God. We are called to do good, sometimes suffer for it, and then endure. Then God will see our actions as commendable. In other words, make the right choice, accept the judgment and criticism, and keep your mouth shut. That is hard to swallow! Our good works, and the occasional suffering that accompanies them, should glorify God, not self. If we live according to the example of Jesus, our suffering will be seen as commendable.

Jennifer R. Archer 

Ask God to reveal to you when and how to endure for His glory.