Never Waste Your Suffering
By the time I reached the summit, the other climbers had long passed me by, yet I was so overwhelmed with thanksgiving that I had tears in my eyes as I was pouring out praise to God. The others were standing around a blazing fire as I hobbled into to the circle. I didn't stay long. I was cold and knew that I was going to have a hard time of it going down.
Much of the descent was near vertical, and although the large teeth on my crampons bit securely, I still couldn't figure out how to take a single step. I couldn't lead with my damaged foot downhill because it wasn't stable enough to hold my weight. When I tried to lead with my good foot I found that my damaged foot (which was a step higher on the mountain) was not able to 'flex' to allow me to step down.
Not only that, but the pain in my foot was far worse going down than I had experienced climbing up. Sitting down was out of the question. The mountain was far too steep and I would have been sliding out of control, putting my foot in serious danger. Yet somehow one small step at a time, I managed to make my way down.
It wasn't long before I saw the headlamps of the other climbers above me, and then a short while later they all passed me by and disappeared below me in the distance. I was alone on the mountain- struggling, hurting, praying- and yet not fearful. There are many hard things in life that we must do alone. It is our burden to bear, our weight to carry, our responsibility to see it through.
A great deal of the Apostle Paul's life was like this. He treasured his friends and they often accompanied him and prayed for him- at times even wept over him- and yet there was a difficult assignment that God had for him alone to bear. Jesus said at Paul's conversion, "I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
Don't shy away from the hard things, and NEVER WASTE YOUR SUFFERING. Those are the very times- in your weakness- when the strength of Jesus is made perfect in your life. As you rely on HIS strength rather than your own, you will find an intimacy with Christ that deepens your faith. Be blessed! -Pastor Brad
Written on December 3, 2025
Posted in Daily Devotions