Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Romans 5:3-4
Devotional Message
When you look back on your life, all of the mountains you’ve conquered and all the valleys you’ve wandered through, surely there is a part of you who can now take pride in those trials, knowing that they built your resilience, character, and strength. Not only did you transmute and transform from that pain, but it is now the story you tell others to foster positivity, hope, and encouragement. Knowing this to be true for all previous trials—that there always was a greater purpose in suffering—you can also decide to see your current challenges through the same, hopeful lens.
The divine progression from suffering to hope flows through God’s intentional process—where He first allows us to experience immense pain, turmoil, or rock bottoms, not to break us, but to deepen our faith in Him, transform our limitations, and teach us to persevere through the storms. Through the journey of transformation, each step becomes a pivotal mark where we grow in faith, strength, resilience, and endurance, all developing our character into wiser, more compassionate, more loving beings, rooted in God. Through surrender to His process, we then find ourselves in a future moment where we turn that suffering into our higher purpose and are able to fulfill God’s will and mission for our lives—whether it’s by helping those who are where we once were, using our gifts to tell the story of overcoming our pain, or being a leader in our community to teach how our faith transformed our relationship with God.
With God, all suffering can be used for a higher purpose—and the hope that emerges, not just for yourself but for the world around you, can only be truly felt and received from a tested and proven character. Whatever storm you are currently going through, find joy and gratitude in it, for this marks a moment in your life that you will one day look back on and tell the story of how you kept persevering and kept hoping, knowing that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Let’s Pray
Dear God, help me see the purpose of my suffering and the pain I’m feeling. I know that all of this is unfolding for me, that one day I will take pride in how I’m handling this season of life, but today it feels unbearable—so give me strength to persevere through my current trials with purpose. I trust in Your process of building my character through these difficulties, and that similar to how past sufferings developed my perseverance, so will this. Give me faith and hope that my current struggles are producing something beautiful, and help me today to fully surrender to Your timing, will, and process. I trust that everything I’m currently going through will lead to greater hope, for myself and the world around me. Amen.
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