Strength Through Suffering

Have you ever walked into a gym and seen someone pushing those weights, sweat pouring down, muscles trembling, face turning red? If you didn’t know better, you might think something was wrong. You might even think they were being punished.

But we know better. They’re not being hurt, they’re getting stronger. Every repetition, every stretch, every moment of discomfort is shaping their body, building endurance, and making them stronger than they were before.

In many ways, our spiritual life works the same way.

The Holy Scripture says, “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same intention … so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God” (1 Peter 4:1-2).

This isn’t suffering from life hitting you, but the suffering of saying no to the flesh so you can say yes to the Spirit. It’s the kind of suffering that trains your heart, disciplines your thoughts, and shapes your character. It’s when you say, “Lord, I don’t feel like doing this, but I’m doing it for You.”

Every time you resist temptation, that’s a rep in the spiritual gym. When you bite your tongue instead of telling someone off, that’s another rep. When you swallow your pride and choose to forgive, even when everything inside you says, “They don’t deserve it,” that’s you lifting spiritual weight.

And just like in the gym, your flesh doesn’t like it. Your pride protests. Your emotions complain. Everything inside of you wants to say, “This isn’t right! They hurt me!” But that resistance is actually a sign that something good is happening. Growth is taking place.

And here’s the good news: the more reps you take, the stronger you become. Things that used to upset you won’t bother you anymore. Temptations that once pulled you in will lose their power. You’ll rise above attitudes, insults, and situations that used to weigh you down.

So the next time you’re tempted to snap back, to hold that grudge, to take the easy road… remember the spiritual gym. This is strengthening time. This is God building something beautiful inside you.

And on the other side of this kind of suffering is glory—a deeper sense of peace, renewed favor, and blessings that come from letting God shape your life.