"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
Romans 5:3-5
Heartbreak, illness, disappointment, discouragement are all forms of suffering. There are so many other ways that people suffer. The verse today leads us to hope. Hope is the word of the month for me. And, it seems as I dive more into realizing how much hope God desires for me, the bigger the battle has become to hold onto it. Circumstances all around me try to shift my focus off Him, and I've had to really press in to avoid the distractions.
The promise here is that through these sufferings or hardships, we learn to endure. The definition of endure is "to remain firm without yielding; to not give in; to bear with patience." We grow in patience, and learn to stand firm in our faith through hardships that life brings. I know there are some people who don't believe we will have hardships or suffering in life, but the Word of God is pretty clear on the subject.
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
The truth is that God is not burdening us with suffering. We live in a fallen world, we make poor choices and deal with the consequences. Sometimes, it's by the choices of others that we suffer, but God is the giver of life. I believe He can still do amazing things through the ruins in our lives if we would just yield ourselves to Him.
Our character is then developed through learning to have patience, and remain firm in our faith without yielding. Some of the most beautiful women I have ever met in my life were women well into their years that had developed godly character. They had lived many marvelous years in the Lord where their faith was strengthened, where they endured. They had character that was beyond the norm. I loved watching them as they endured hardships, but still gave thanks and loved the Lord with all their heart. It was from watching them and recalling their stories that I realized that their character produced hope. Hope that would say this is not your home; you are not of this world. Hope that would say to them that God loved them deeper still. This kind of hope is not learned, it's earned. We can't obtain this hope through reading about it, but experiencing the amazing grace of our precious Lord and Savior.
Hope does not put us to shame. Matthew Henry's commentary words it like this:
"it is a hope that will not deceive us. Nothing confounds more than disappointment. Everlasting shame and confusion will be caused by the perishing of the expectation of the wicked, but the hope of the righteous shall be gladness, Prov. 10:28. See Ps. 22:5; 71:1. It is in a good cause, for a good Master, and in good hope; and therefore we are not ashamed. Because the love of God is shed abroad. This hope will not disappoint us, because it is sealed with the Holy Spirit as a Spirit of love. It is the gracious work of the blessed Spirit to shed abroad the love of God in the hearts of all the saints. Sense of God’s love to us will make us not ashamed, either of our hope in him or our sufferings for him."
Friend, hope is around the corner of your suffering. Don't despair, He is right there with you in the pits. He never leaves you, nor forsakes you. Let me encourage you to study Romans 5, and find the God of hope, the One who wants to fill your cup up with hope again and again. Your hope in Christ will not put you to shame, but it will redeem you!
