Dear Family and Friends,

My high school track coach was a sadist.

He took pleasure in watching us suffer. His greatest joy came from making us run what’s called sprint intervals.

He made us sprint halfway around the track, then jog the second half. Then he would scream at us over the next hour as we did it over and over again – – until we dropped.

But by the end of the season, what first felt like a death march became a cake walk.

Our coach was not a sadist. He actually had our best interest at heart.

As does our God.

Hebrews 12 alludes to this concept of growth through suffering.

“Therefore, …let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
 
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
 
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.”   Hebrews 12:1,11-12 NIV

Those who know me well would never describe me as patient.

We recently vacationed with our entire family. I must admit – it was a struggle at first.

Everything we did – from deciding where to eat to using the restroom – took an inordinate amount of time…

But the good thing was – I felt my patience growing as the week went by.

No one openly welcomes suffering.

Our natural inclination is to run in the other direction while screaming, ‘God, help me! And by the way, where are You?’

But it’s those stressful suffering times in life that builds us.

Let me share another memory about my sadistic coach.

He once shocked me at a track meet – telling me to run a race I had not mentally and physically prepared for.

It was grueling but I finished the race. But that run hurt so much, my teammates had to help me walk off the track.

Jesus endured more pain than we could ever imagine. Hebrews 12 tells us to endure as Jesus did.

“…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 NIV

How did Jesus do it?

He fixed His eyes on the finish line. But there’s more to His story.

Jesus was not shocked by what was happening to Him on that Friday. He was prepared; He knew the outcome before He even came.

And while we suffer after the pain begins, Jesus suffered before the pain began – – in the Garden.

He expected the pain. We, on the other hand, expect our lives to be pain free.

Instead of crying out for help, perhaps we should be crying out to God to help us change our perspective on life. 

To accept that we will have times of suffering.

And to accept that those times are meant not to hurt us, but to get us into shape for our glorious eternal future life with Jesus.

Oh, if you’re wondering what God taught me through this suffering experience – it became crystal clear that His calling on my life would have absolutely nothing to do with athletics.

In love always,