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Writer's pictureStephan Joubert

Suffering makes sense this way


If any sense is to be found in life, we should look for it in suffering. So says Victor Frankl. He would know, because he had to endure the hell of Auschwitz during World War II. None of us are victims of this life, not even when the sharpest sides of life hit and wound us. The first letter of Peter tells us that suffering and opposition never leave us stranded. Peter teaches us in 1 Peter 2 that Jesus was brutally tortured and murdered at the cross. He never reacted with bitterness and anger. Jesus held God’s hand throughout His own suffering. He looked to God when the bad side of life struck Him. Jesus is an example of vulnerable steadfastness. Vulnerable – because sometimes horrible things happen to us, but also steadfastness, because in such times it takes inner strength to cling to God. We are never alone. Our God, who knows what intense suffering is, is always with us. His proximity is our light.


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