We don't like the word suffering. Perhaps it's because of the picture of it that we see through our mind's eyes. Could it be a picture which turns us into a victim of circumstance? In that view we suffer because someone else has oppressed us. In that view we suffer because we are victims. In that view we suffer because God has forsaken us. After all, when we come to Christ, we are not supposed to suffer anymore... right ? The picture of suffering that you receive from your mind's eyes can often be framed through a bad understanding of what it is to follow Jesus Christ; such as from the end of the last paragraph. There is no easy road promised for the saint. I've heard it said that while God promises that He will take care of our needs (Phil 4:19), He never promised us that He will give us everything we want. In fact the opposite is often the truth. Many times we don't get our 'wants' because to have them would be a distraction from our call and pur...