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Suffering Well: How Trials Shape Us For Greater Glory
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In the type of church I grew up in, suffering often meant you’d sinned or “missed” God’s will. This belief misrepresents suffering’s true purpose.
Suffering isn’t a sign you’re out of God’s will—it’s a vehicle designed to move you from one place to the next.
Over the past three years, I’ve experienced both blessings and hardships. I’ve seen God work miracles, but I’ve also lost loved ones, faced job loss, financial instability, and even homelessness. When one bad thing happens, you chalk it up to life. But when it’s a series of events with no break, it’s easy to question everything.
I ran through my “Good Christian Girl Checklist” to make sure I wasn’t at fault. Yet, even with all the boxes checked, the suffering persisted—and intensified. I found myself asking God, “Why?”
Then came the perspective shift:
If God’s ways are higher than mine, why blame Him for how He brings good into my life?
Suffering, I realized, isn’t evil—it’s His method at work.
Though my life seemed to crumble, God was using that season to introduce me to a stronger version of myself. Broken relationships were replaced with courage, and dead dreams with His “exceedingly abundantly above.”
Suffering isn’t evil—it’s a means for God to remove unhealthy habits, dependency on idols, and anything that hinders our growth.
It strengthens the weak parts of us and brings us to a place of certainty in our calling.
As I write this, I’m still without many of the things I long for. But God hasn’t lifted the suffering—He’s enlarged it, showing that long-suffering will sustain the abundance He has for me.
The cross we bear, much like Christ’s, is a vehicle that leads us to the place where God reveals His purpose for us.
So, if you find yourself in the midst of suffering—carry it well. Endure well. One day, you’ll be grateful that you didn’t quit. Suffering isn’t the end—it’s a means of transportation to restoration, strength, and establishment.
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” —1 Peter 5:10 [ESV]
