Resilience: It’s Time to Get UpSample

We will encounter the loss of loved ones, the loss of jobs, illnesses, injuries, betrayals, and the list could go on. Suffering is not a probability; it is a certainty.

Scripture tells us as much. 1 Peter 4:12-13 (TPT) reads, “Beloved friends, if life gets extremely difficult, with many tests, don’t be bewildered as though something strange were overwhelming you. Instead, continue to rejoice, for you, in a measure, have shared in the sufferings of the Anointed One so that you can share in the revelation of his glory and celebrate with even greater gladness.”

This passage, penned by Peter, was a letter to Christians, instructing them on how to live in a world where they would inevitably be persecuted for their faith and assuring them that regardless of the pain they experience on this earth, their eternity with God was secure. 

Perhaps the most profound point of this passage, however, is found in the first verse, which says, “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin” (1 Peter 4:1, NIV).

Let’s unpack that a bit. First, this verse reminds us that Christ suffered. Suffering was the entire reason He was born. He was sent to take our punishments, to shoulder our iniquities, and to suffer in our stead.

It’s easy and almost natural to feel alone in the midst of our own pain. Loss and grief frequently lead us to isolation, convinced that no one could possibly understand what we’re going through. Those feelings are without merit because they stem directly from the enemy, who is a master at twisting even the very words of God for his vindictive purposes. If he can isolate us, we are less likely to resist his agenda.