Why I Choose to Suffer

I just completed a 100 kilometer race in Colorado Springs. What I first thought what was a good idea turned out to be more painful than I first supposed. I believed I had the training and experience to finish the race. Though I did finish, I wondered to myself often during the race, Why am I doing this to myself? I couldn’t have come up with any other plans for a Saturday?

The Reality of Pain

I will never forget the first hospital visit I attended because of the severity of the pain in the room.

I was interning under a pastor and one of my first days on the job required me to visit a dying man in the hospital. I had only been to the hospital a couple times, and certainly had never been there as a representative of the church. I dressed in my nicest polo, grabbed my Bible, and we shuttled our way to Columbus.

As we walked the halls of the hospital, my heart was racing. I knew I’d be asked to speak, but what would I say? If I was asked to pray, what do I pray for? If I was asked to give a comforting word from Scripture, what passage would I draw on? My heart raced.

The elevator doors opened and I turned the corner, only to be treated by the yells of a man in pain. As it would turn out, this was the gentleman who we were on mission to comfort. This kind soul was having heart attack after heart attack, dying a very torturous kind of death.

They asked me to pray for him. I did. After my prayer, in the midst of his pain, he grabbed my hand and squeezed it, bellowing in a deep voice that he senses the Spirit on me and that I will be a great pastor to many hurting people just like him. But, he said, I needed to pray louder next time because you never know who needs to hear it in the next room over.

I was there to encourage him. Yet, it is his words that still encourage me today to remain bold in my calling to Christ.

I often wonder how people, in the midst of pain, remain joyful, encouraging, and a blessing to people around them?

Suffering Deepens Belief Systems

I have had the privilege of walking beside dozens as they experience their final moments on earth. All of their stories are different, and I dare not disparage any. Death is hard always, for all people. It is unnatural, against the desires of the God who created all things.

It has been my experience that those with a Christian worldview are well suited for the suffering that comes with death, because the Christian faith speaks abundantly of the suffering that believers should expect to experience.

Christianity does not support a “health and wealth” kind of message, where good people get good things. In fact, it is often just the opposite, that followers of Jesus can expect that they will face many trials. That being a believer does not give you a ticket to an easy life, but rather may end up causing you trouble in this life.

Rather, being with Christ gives you the foundation to persevere through any trial.

Suffering also gives you a deeper belief in your own strength and ability and a greater confidence in others.

I just completed a 100 kilometer race in Colorado Springs, and it was super hard. There were a couple moments throughout the race where I genuinely wanted to throw in the towel. I was having a hard time keeping down food or water, I was exhausted, it was super hot. The excuses really are endless.

And yet I finished it.

I was able to finish in no small part because of my wife, my kids, my brother and mom, and the many volunteers there providing food and water.

I was also able to finish because, even though I wanted to quit, my body was and is capable of doing much more than I perceive. Often the limitations we experience are self-imposed, and with a little fortitude can be overcome.

Suffering Builds Character

I trust a mechanic that smells like gas, diesel, and grease, over the mechanic that smells like fancy cologne.

There is something about experiencing life that simply cannot be taught in a textbook.I cannot tell you how many books I read on how to be a pastor that meant absolutely nothing until I was actively performing the role.

Doing the hard thing, suffering through the obstacles to complete it, does something in you that is worth more than actually completing the thing in itself.

I’m glad I finished the 100k, but it taught me something valuable that is worth more than a medal. I’m glad to be a pastor, but I have gained so much more than a job title.

I find that the hard things become most valuable when it forms are character into something more lasting, durable, and meaningful.

Watch how the CEO of Nvidia, one of the largest companies in the world, talks about suffering. It’s worth the watch.

Suffering Humbles You

Perhaps the most special lesson I have learned from voluntary suffering is the humility it teaches you.

I really thought I was hot stuff coming into the race in Colorado Springs. I had run nearly this distance before on a course that had the same elevation gain. I was stronger than I was for the last race, and had been training longer. Surely I would crush this course.

In many ways, it was the course that crushed me.

Though we can and should believe in ourselves and others. And we should push to persevere. There are some sufferings that happen to us that are simply outside o our ability to keep running forward.

Though suffering teaches us that we are more capable than we often believe, we also form the unique perspective that not everything in life will be easy. Some things, and it is usually the really important things, actually take quite a bit of effort that seems beyond us.

When we suffer, it builds our perseverance muscle while simultaneously breaks down overconfidence and reveals our weak spots.

Introducing Voluntary Suffering

One of my favorite remarks from others about ultra marathon running is “and you pay to run that far?”

Yes, I do pay. I do so because it is my experience that in voluntary suffering I am better equipped for involuntary suffering. And the lessons learned are worth it’s weight in gold.

I encourage you to introduce a little suffering into your life. Fast from food. Walk. Run. Lift weights. Force yourself to public speak or have a conversation with a stranger. Risk getting rejected. Start a business.

By introducing small, voluntary acts that push you outside of the norm, you will in turn grow in ways that you never would otherwise. Pain is a teacher, and you will learn whether you want to or not. Why not do it on your own terms?