Suffering sucks. Like REALLY sucks. I can’t say that I have a spectacular backstory where I came from nothing and turned into a success. However, I can say this:
I know what it feels like to lose a loved one 3x over. I know what it feels like to want to help a friend yet feel helpless. I know what it feels like to want to help MYSELF yet feel completely helpless. I know what it feels like to go hungry for days. I know what it feels like to have family taken away from me, without any communication, for years. I know what it feels like to almost lose everything. I know what it feels like to have an utter breakdown with uncontrollable and undeniable tears. I know what it feels like to feel lonely.
The list goes on and on. Sometimes life gets better. Sometimes life makes multiple, crash and burn, blind sighting, turns for the worst. If you’re like me, suffering can really bring you down to a low point. To a “I really don’t know what I’m going to do now” point. Suffering holds such a crippling grip on us it’s frightening. I believed wholeheartedly that there was no way to release that grip. However, through suffering, an idea came to me. An idea that would forever change the way I viewed suffering.
Suffering pushed me to want to attend college. Suffering pushed me into meeting the woman of my dreams, who then introduced me to a true sense of spirituality. Suffering pushed me into wanting to expand that sense of spirituality by reading the bible. And in the bible, a very specific quote stuck out to me:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,”
-Galatians 5:22
“But wait a minute...how did longsuffering sneak in there?” Was my initial reaction. But overtime, I pondered this quote. It made me realize something that made me change my mindset completely. The subject “Spirit” is capitalized. Typically, in the bible, the capitalization of a proper noun in regards to “Spirit, Him, His...etc” means that it directly relates to The Lord. The Spirit, in this sense, would mean the Holy Spirit that is residing in us. I picture the Spirit as a Tree. What soil I plant my tree in will vastly determine the fruits that my tree bears. Longsuffering is a type of fruit, just like love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness and faith.
This analogy made me realize that longsuffering is required in order to have a complete tree. Without longsuffering, how could I truly know and appreciate all of the other fruits? Accepting and growing in longsuffering, is, what I believe, the only way to nurture all of your other fruits. To be a complete tree, God must be working up a plan for me. He must be molding me into the man he wants me to be, through longsuffering. To suffer means I’m still a part of God’s plan of planting trees in His image. For that I’m grateful.
I’m grateful to know what it feels like to lose a loved one 3x over. I’m grateful to know what it feels like to want to help a friend yet feel helpless. I’m grateful to know what it feels like to want to help MYSELF yet feel completely helpless. I’m grateful to know what it feels like to go hungry for days. I’m grateful to know what it feels like to have family taken away from me, without any communication, for years. I’m grateful to know what it feels like to almost lose everything. I’m grateful to know what it feels like to have utter breakdown with uncontrollable and undeniable tears. I’m grateful to know what it feels like to feel lonely.
Through these experiences...I’m learning to seek God first. And through seeking God, I’m learning that my love, my joy, my peace, my gentleness, my goodness, and my faith, is growing forever more.
Longsuffering is a fruit, a gift of the Spirit, a blessing. A sign that your tree, your Spirit, is growing. A sign that you have more fruit to bear. A sign that other blessings are coming. I learned that instead of complaining about my situation, I needed to be thankful for what I have and to show love to others as I would want love shown to me.
Love others. Be mindful. You don’t know their story. They don’t know yours. But your love just may help someone’s fruit to grow. :) :) :)
LLWLO,
-Sonny Boy
