Other people can learn a tremendous amount from the way you handle your hard times, so ask God for grace to set an example and inspire others.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and when I was newly injured, there were days when I wished I could end my life. End the pain, end the suffering, once and for all. Throughout the years, I have met and written to hurting people who also wish it would all just come to an end. Some wish in a very literal, morbid sense, but others – they just want relief. So then, why doesn’t God put an end to our personal suffering? Well, the apostle writes in 2 Corinthians 1, “If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.” Oh, friend, this Scripture is saying that other people can learn a tremendous amount from the graceful way you handle your hard times. So hang in there, friend; someday all suffering will cease. But until then, let the way you handle your hardships inspire others to do the same.
© Joni and Friends