Unified Under Christ: Suffering for You

 

I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. Ephesians 3:13 NIV

 Again, today, I am focusing not on the suggested SOAP verse for our study, but on the verse that comes after, Ephesians 3:13.  In this verse, Paul asks the Ephesians, a church birthed from his missionary journeys, his spiritual children, to not be discouraged by his sufferings. Indeed, he conveys that his sufferings are for them and they are, in fact, the Ephesians’ glory. All of that can be a little much to take in, to understand, so I’d like to break it down a little.

 While he was writing Ephesians, Paul was under house arrest in Rome. He was there because the Jews in Jerusalem had accused him of ministering to the Gentiles, specifically bringing them into the temple – which he had not done. He was, in fact, imprisoned and suffering for them. But Paul goes on to say that his sufferings are not only on their behalf, but also for their glory. Paul is telling his flock, his spiritual children, not to be alarmed and dismayed at the suffering he is enduring for them, but to rejoice in it. They can feel loved and seen by Paul and by God in that he is willing to go to whatever lengths are necessary to bring the good news to them and to affirm it. He did not backtrack and renounce his calling to the Gentiles when put in trouble and persecution. He did not waver in his convictions. No, he doubled down, writing and ministering to the church while he was in prison. These writings went down in history to influence and teach billions. Paul, and his sufferings, were pivotal in bringing the Gentiles to glory!

 So, how do I see this applying in my life? While I’m certainly not in prison, or under house arrest, for preaching the gospel, I certainly have experienced suffering and trial in my life. If you look at the list of physical diagnoses I have, most people react with shock and disbelief. I’ve dealt with a genetic disorder, Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS), all my life, though I wasn’t aware that the symptoms I was experiencing weren’t “normal” nor of the risks to my body from activities that would be beneficial for most people until I was in my 40s. In my early adulthood, probably in 2005, I contracted Lyme Disease which went untreated because my doctor said I was just depressed and put me on anti-depressants rather than examining my physical symptoms (she never even talked to me about them, she decided what was wrong with me before entering the room on our first appointment). Then, two years ago in 2023, I was diagnosed with a ridiculously rare brain tumor (like maybe a couple of dozen people in the entire world could have it and most have no idea). My daily life involves constant pain, digestive issues, sleeplessness, and metal cognition issues. But the thing is, THIS IS NOT ALL ABOUT ME. Do I experience my suffering? Certainly! Has it grown me as a person? Almost definitely. Is that the sum total of the “reason” behind why I have gone through this? I pray to God the answer is “No!” Do I long for there to be a purpose for my pain, a greater good that comes from it? Yes, I desperately want to believe that, but I don’t think it’s as much of a stretch as it seems at first. There are countless examples in the Bible of people suffering and it being used for the greater good of themselves, their loved ones, and the greater community around them – not to mention the billions of people that have come after them that read about their story. And I’ve seen personally, in small ways, people reaching out to me to let me know that what I’ve gone through, and the way I’ve shared it, has worked in their lives for good. God has blessed me with this blog and the opportunity to communicate what He’s doing in my life, what He’s teaching me, to anyone that happens upon it on the internet.

Here's the Thing: My testimony doesn’t seem to have much weight or value if it doesn’t get read or seen. As a blogger, it’s a very vulnerable thing to put your heart out there when 99.9% of the time you hear nothing back. At best, I might receive a “like” or even a “love” on my Facebook post of the article, but who knows if they even read it or they’re just reacting to the picture. If you see this post today, if you read to the end and you see this note, please leave a comment. It can be simple. You can just type, “I’m here.” I’d just like to know that all this isn’t in vain…