None of us like suffering. If we do, we think of ourselves as having some sort of phsychiatric disorder. But, as Christians, we cannot avoid suffering. Christ told his apostles that they would suffer in Matthew 10:18-20. He didn’t say, “But if they arrest you.” He said “But when they arrest you.” It’s a certainty that we will suffer spiritually, physically, and emotionally for proclaiming God to the world. We suffer for God, and it isn’t a bad thing. On the contrary, it shows God to be a glorious and powerful God who supports His children.

Because it brings glory to God, we should view suffering for Truth as a privilege. Suffering for the Gospel is not a curse; it is a blessing bestowed upon us by God. Paul said to the Philippians in Philippians 1:29 that it had not only granted to them to believe on Christ but also to suffer for Him. Paul viewed suffering for God as a gift equal to salvation.

Suffering comes hand-in-hand with our heavenly reward. Romans 8:17-18 speaks to this very well. It tells us that, although our present sufferings cannot compare to the reward which we will receive in Heaven, they are intrinsically connected to our sanctification process. They are what mark us as co-heirs of Christ.

The book Jesus Freaks put out by dc Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs contains many poignant stories of people who “considered it pure joy when [they] faced trials of many kinds. (James 1:2). One of my favorite stories is found on page 224. It is the story of Nijole Sadunaite, a Christian in Soviet Lithuania in the 1970s. When she was sentenced to three years in prison for her faith, she said to the court, “This is the happiest day of my life. I was judged today for the cause of truth and love toward men. What cause could be more important? I have an enviable fate, a glorious destiny” Later, when she met the Pope in Rome, he asked her, “How was it in jail?” She happily responded, “Romantic.” Nijole’s story vividly illustrates how we ought to view suffering for Christ: as a privilege which few are granted.

So what exactly qualifies as suffering for the Truth? Is it only the traditional persecution and martyrdom that we associate with Asia and Africa? Or is there something more to it?

I would say that any sort of suffering that is received as a result of expressing your faith in Christ could be considered suffering for the Truth. In other words, you don’t have to be threatened with death to suffer for Truth. This broadens our scope to include a variety of things in our lives, even those of us who live in the Western world.

An example is the film Expelled (Ben Stein), which tells of the subtle (and not so subtle) manipulation on the part of evolutionist scientists. In several universities, Christian professors who teach anything contrary to evolution are fired. They lose their jobs because they stick up for what they know is true. Although they do not lose their lives for the Gospel, they are suffering.

Even relational damage as a result of one’s faith could be considered suffering for the Truth. If you are passionate for God, and that turns your family and/or friends away from you, then that could be called suffering for the Gospel.

Now, this realization should not cause us to become proud of ourselves for standing up to suffering, nor to pity ourselves because of our suffering. We should give all credit to God, who enables us to withstand suffering, when we can bear the hardship, and we should trust in His power to sustain us when our tribulations feel overwhelming.

No matter what, we should never give up, because we have a future reward that makes our current suffering look miniscule. I’d like to finish with a hymn taken from Romans 8:17-18:

O That Will Be Glory

When all my labors and trials are o’er,

And I am safe on that beautiful shore,

Just to be near the dear Lord I adore,

Will through the ages be glory for me.

O that will be glory for me,

Glory for me, glory for me,

When by His grace I shall look on His face,

That will be glory, be glory for me.

When, by the gift of His infinite grace,

I am accorded in heaven a place,

Just to be there and to look on His face,

Will through the ages be glory for me.

O that will be glory for me,

Glory for me, glory for me,

When by His grace I shall look on His face,

That will be glory, be glory for me.

Friends will be there I have loved long ago;

Joy like a river around me will flow;

Yet just a smile from my Savior, I know,

Will through the ages be glory for me.

O that will be glory for me,

Glory for me, glory for me,

When by His grace I shall look on His face,

That will be glory, be glory for me.

~Jayan