This was a prompt for a chronic pain/illness support group that i am part of. This group has been an absolute God-send in my life and I often refer to it as a "safe harbor to drop anchor in the midst of the storms of chronic pain/illness". My doctor once said she thinks everyone needs a good therapist/support group, and I agree with that statement. But even more so if you deal with ongoing illness (physical or mental) and pain.
So, as I was thinking about this prompt I found it a difficult one. I mean how does one suffer well? And why should we strive to suffer well? What is the opposite of suffering well? And really what is the point of even trying to suffer well? I am not sure I will have a well thought out answer by the time group meets today, but I am pondering.
As believers in Christ, we are encouraged to look towards Jesus and His Word for the answers to our deepest questions and needs. So, that is where I wanted to start. Which means since Jesus is our example of how to live our lives He is the place to start. Now I do want to clarify that our earthly suffering is nowhere near what Christ endured at the cross. But his responses to it can give us a guide on how we can manage our suffering here during our time on earth.
The first thing that I remember from my reading and what i was taught about Christ is that he always went straight to the Father during times of stress and pain. When he was tempted in the desert he used the words of his father to stand up to the physical and mental toll those 40 days must have taken on him. When he faced the cross he went to a place to pray. When on the cross he cried out to his father while feeling a moment of abandonment.
The second thing I think of is he spent time with his friends. After a time of stressful ministry he was with his friends on the boat to get away from the crowd. When he went to the garden to pray he took several trusted friends with him. In his times of need he sought out time with his friends, and even though they were weak and did not offer him great support, he still reached out to them.
The final thing I think of is how, in his greatest times of great mental and physical pain while he did call out to his father, and ask to be released from what was ahead, and wondered aloud why he was being abandoned, in the end he never doubted the love of his father. He knew he was loved and that he was not alone. He could trust the his father had his ultimate good in mind. After the temptation in the desert angels were sent to minister to him, in the garden while he asked for the cup to be taken away he submitted to what his father's will was, and on the cross even after his moment of feeling abandoned he committed himself into the hands of his father and breathed his last. And, after three days, he did indeed rise again and eventually return to his fathers side.
So, while I still feel I have more questions than answers regarding this subject, my initial takeaways are that to suffer well, for me, is to always go to my heavenly father through his word and prayer, to seek out friends for support even though they will sometimes let me down (and I them), and remember that no matter what my heavenly father has my ultimate good in mind.
I know this sounds a little bit like "sunday school" answers, I will wholeheartedly admit that this is often easier said than done, and in the weakness of my human flesh I fail on many of these, often daily. But the bottom line for me, is to remember what I believe, to dig deep and hold on to my faith, and in the same breath as the father to help me in my moments of unbelief.
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