More From Bob LaForge

Who can say that they have never suffered or gone through trials? I am sure that none of us can. But who can say that they have always responded properly while in those trials? We all have our own general ways of responding to our trials. Some will get angry. Some will withdraw. Some will blame others, including God. I tend to blame myself for what is happening and get discouraged. None of these are helpful responses. This is why I felt that it was important to deeply study this topic. Starting in April, I am going to teach a three-month, adult Sunday school class at our church, and I chose “Suffering: Proper Christian Thinking and Response” as the topic. I have spent two years working on this study.

I have had times of trial. I have been laid off from my job three times. One time it took me a year and a half to find another job. I have had friends and relatives pass away. Two people I knew committed suicide. A few years ago, several people I knew died from COVID-19.

When I suffer, it becomes the center of my life. When I am going through a hard time, I wish I could simply say, “I believe that I’ve learned what I am supposed to from this trial. I’ve become the person that it has pushed me toward.” And then, having accomplished its purpose, the suffering would go away. But that is not how it works. Suffering and grief often do eventually go away. But many times, grief will linger, like a brick on our chest, for years, maybe even for a lifetime. Suffering and grief can come at us from all angles. It can be relentless and take over our thoughts, motives, physical abilities, and our lives. Many times, it hits us just when things are going well.

On Palm Sunday, Jesus was at the peak of his earthly ministry. The crowds cheered him on and laid down palm branches as he entered Jerusalem. They shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel” (Jn. 12:13)! The following Thursday, Jesus was arrested by the Sanhedrin and taken to the high priest Caiaphas. On Friday, he was tortured and crucified. His peak moment did not last very long. It went downhill quickly.

However, I have realized that I am not a person of hopelessness. I am not a person of despair and pity. I am a person of resurrection. When it looks like hope has been crushed and everything is bleak, when it looks like my life has fallen into dry, rocky soil, then there is resurrection.

I imagine it like this: the stone was rolled away from the tomb’s entrance, light shone into the chamber, and out stepped someone more alive than before, the grave clothes left behind. That is my hope, my assurance.

A new life breaks through the soil. Out of pain and suffering comes life more glorious. My trials are not my grave. Rather, my trials are more like a womb out of which comes a new birth, a stronger new me. I am not a child of death. I am a child of resurrection. I have hope — a firm and assured hope. This hope begins, is filled with, and ends with Jesus Christ.

If you or someone you know is in crisis or experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741). Speaking of Suicide also provides a list of resources for those in crisis and their loved ones.