I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  – John 15:1-2

Suffering is the gateway to all good things. It is the door that no one wants to walk through. I’ve met people who think they are ready to die for Christ, but they fall apart when there are no batteries for the video game controller.

Without persevering through suffering, we don’t even know what dying is like. Suffering repels people without character and restricts their ability to multiply.

If we as the western church don’t embrace suffering as part of the gospel, then we’ll export the wrong message to the world. People in other countries experience suffering as a normal part of life. If they think being a Christian means they finally get to be like us and avoid suffering, they will end up as undiscipled and fruitless as we have become.

Suffering is how God disciples us. Let us rejoice at every opportunity to submit to his discipline.

God has two significant ways to get our attention: miracles and suffering. These are like the two bumper paddles that He uses to keep us on course. We can see from scripture that either one is fine in his eyes, because the point is not how we’re feeling. The point is to guide all of mankind to heaven.

Parenting our little children, sometimes we fed them vegetables and sometimes ice cream. Healthy food is less tasty but makes them strong. Ice cream is less nutritious but lets them enjoy our love. They need both, and so do we.