To Suffer part 5
To suffer is to feel. And that's not a bad thing, that's a good thing. Because when you go through something that is, let's say, not great... you can A. Know what someone else is feeling when they go through something similar and B. Help them through it. Longsuffering takes fortitude. Because tough times don't last, but tough people do. We learn who we are when we face adversity. And, guys, in this world we WILL face tribulations. Things don't always go the way we think they should. I've heard it said life is 10% what happens to us, and 90% how we react to it. You can't control what other people do. You can only control what you do. And when you suffer without striking back you show people a more excellent way. You show them God. You show them love. There have been times in my life where someone just totally and completely did me wrong. And let me tell you, the times when I responded with love--not every time, because back then (and, yes, still today) I was learning and growing. I wasn't as mature as I am now, and I'm not as mature as I will be as I continue to learn and grow--but when I responded with love... when you turn the other cheek, it knocks people's socks off. It surprises them. Because they're used to an eye for eye. They're used to getting back what they give out. And, by the way, what they give out is what they've already gotten. You can't give what you don't have, and you can only give what you do have. So when someone who is hurting hurts you, and you love them anyway, what you've done is break the cycle. You've given them what they need, even though they might not "deserve" it. But, like I always say, "deserve's got nothing to do with it." Love is unconditional. Its for everybody. All the time. It's not just for when someone's nice to you. I think you SHOULD love people when they're nice to you. Because that's kind of a rare thing these days. And it should be reciprocated. Love feeds on itself (HIMSELF) and grows and grows like a Holy Ghost wildfire. The consuming fire that consumes everything except itself (HIMSELF). So when someone loves you, pay it back. And pay it forward. But when someone doesn't love you... suffer it. Understand that its not personal. And even if it IS personal, don't take it that way. All these things we are to "put on" in Colossians 3:12 are aspects of love. Not things we need. Not just things we do. But things we have. Things we ARE. Our new nature is the love nature. What we do flows from who we are. What we do flows from what we believe. Putting on who we are means sinking into it. Getting comfortable with it. And the only way to get comfortable with something is to do it. To use it. So don't freak out when you feel like you're suffering. Especially when it seems unfair. Because those times are the best opportunites you will get to take the high road. To rise above your circumstances. To be who you are no matter what's going on around you. To learn and grow. To find the good, the GOD, in whatever the situation is. To suffer long, and know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Its never suffering for suffering's sake. People might mean it for evil, but God means it for good. So feel what you feel, but don't let it control you. Let God's love control you. Let what you've been filled with fill you to overflowing and come out naturally!