Since it was Easter recently, it got me
thinking about suffering and how much Jesus had to go through. First of all, (and most obviously) he had to experience
crucifixion. Not only that, but he was betrayed by one of his own followers,
rejected by his own people and denied by one of his best friends. If this isn’t
an example of suffering, I don’t know what is. I don’t know if I would be able
to handle one of my close friends betraying me, let alone being put on trial
and consequently being killed for my beliefs.
Since Jesus is the center of Christianity, his suffering puts the
concept of the suffering of believers at the center of Christianity. Suffering is the most common human experience.
What is unique about Christianity is how believers respond to suffering. The main belief among Christians is that
people should embrace suffering because it shows them what values are the most
important in their lives, and it allows them to become fully human.
Since suffering is such an important
concept in Christianity, it seems like you can’t be fully Christian until you
experience your own suffering. You are
part of the faith because you believe and follow all of the religious
practices, but your faith isn’t completely authentic yet because it has not
been put to the test. Oftentimes, we hear stories about Christians in third
world countries who are literally being hunted down and massacred for their
faith. All of these terrible and unmentionable things are happening to their
friends and family members, and yet people still continue to practice
Christianity. This is the epitome of suffering in today’s world. Usually, when
we envision suffering in terms of Christianity, this is what we think of. Obviously,
this is not the only way to suffer. People suffer from many things such as the
loss of a loved one, sickness, loss of a job or a house, and for numerous other
reasons. It is how they deal with these
crises that define the rest of their lives. For many Christians, suffering
strengthens their faith and brings them closer to God.
Currently, I have not faced any true
suffering. The worst thing that I am
going through right now is trying to finish everything that needs to be done
before the end of the semester. Does this mean that I am not fully a Christian?
Or will I not become one until I have truly suffered? It is something that I
have been questioning. I think that some people would say that I do need to
suffer before I can completely and truly embrace Christianity. Also, what about
the people who live their whole lives relatively free of suffering? Are they
not considered to be fully Christian because they did not experience a
traumatic event that changed the way they viewed life?
I'm sure that Jesus would say you are a fine christian. That is, as long as you've lived a just life. Suffering, in my view, is not about being in absolute pain like Jesus. We all suffer on a daily basis with varying degrees. I think the important thing to remember is to keep your own suffering in the perspective of others.
ReplyDeleteFor example, the Meme of "First World problems" is a great example of keeping your "suffering" in perspective. When your iPhone screen cracks, don't think it's the end of the world because there's millions who won't get to eat today.
The point of Jesus suffering as he did was so that we wouldn't have to. We, as Christians, should suffer in a different way. We should work with the poor, and sacrifice our time and energy for those who need it, not on unimportant things. As we suffer with others, our own humanity is revealed to us. That's why I went on so many mission trips when I was younger, I was looking to find out who I was as a person and helping others helped me find that.
So, no, you are a Christian as long as you've sacrificed your time for someone at some point. There's no such thing as a "perfect" Christian, save for Jesus. Therefore, if you devote your time to at least one person, you can call yourself a christian because you have suffered a bit. However, the more you suffer (sacrifice) the more human you should feel.
I agree with the Cordizzle’s comment. Although you have not experienced suffering as intense as dying for something you believe in, that does not mean that you are not fully Christian. It is good that you realize that life is not perfect and everyone has suffering that they deal with. Some people deal with more suffering than others, like countries who have no food to eat or clean water to drink. I cannot say I have experienced as much suffering as people who have nutritional problems or experience poverty, but I have experienced some problems minor to those as well.
ReplyDeleteI know as a child I used to waste food and I never understood what my family meant by finishing my meal because people in other places have nothing to eat. As I got older I understood that they meant that I should be grateful for the food that I have and not just waste it like it is nothing, when there are people who do not have the luxury of a nice meal. Also with possessions, education, etc, I take better care of what I have, because I know that not everyone has all that I have, and I should be grateful for what my parents can provide me with. Realizing our own suffering is important because in a way, it helps us see the brighter things in our lives. It also helps us realize that we have the ability to help those who deal with greater suffering than us, and we should use that ability.
Jesus suffered a great amount, because he did not want us to suffer like he did. He sacrificed his life for us, but for us, sacrificing even a little would still be doing something to help. We are not in a perfect world, but striving to make our world better will make us better people, bringing us closer to Christianity.
I do not think that we should base whether or not people are Christians on the amount of suffering they go through. That is not how God looks at it and we should not either. He says that we just need to have faith and believe in Him and we will be saved. God says nothing about having to suffer a certain amount through our lives in order for us to believe or become human. Yet, God did not say that we would have no suffering at all. Through Him, He can strengthen us when we do have hard times in our lives and help us through it. If having to suffer to become a Christian or human, was the case, then no one would have a fair chance to become a Christian and no one in their right mind would ever want to become Christian in the first place. Anyone that wanted to become a Christian would all be fighting over who could go and live through the most suffering. So, no I do not think that God sits back and questions whether every person that claims they are a believer has suffered enough through their life. It is not by what we do, that makes us saved or makes us a Christian. It is by God’s grace that we are saved. He did it all for us by sending His Son to die on the cross for us. God sent His son as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins because He loves us. Why would God want us to suffer through life in order for us to be a true believer? It is a little contradictory don’t you think? I believe that God puts suffering in our lives so that we are humble and we go to Him, trusting in His promises that He is with us always and that He will save us from this sinful life on earth. When we face trials and tribulations in our lives, we can grow closer to Him in our faith and we build a stronger relationship with Him. This is what God wants. He wants us to fully lean on Him.
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