Suffering & the Christian Walk
Last night I watched an interview with Metropolitan Anthony Bloom, which I had seen before, and something new struck me. He mentioned that suffering is not inherently redemptive, and, in fact, can be a personal hell. It is when a person takes suffering on themselves on behalf of another, or suffers because of their love for another, that this suffering becomes a profitable suffering, a redemptive suffering.
It occurred to me, as I was listening to Matins this morning, that the temptation that the Christian undergoes,the struggle that he has, and the defeats that he suffers from time to time are , in fact, redemptive in as much as they are suffered because of our love for Christ. When we pursue Christ for self-help we close off the circuit and short-circuit the system, as it were, thereby turning our struggle into a personal hell. On the other hand, in the moments when we seek a particular course out of love for Christ, or another person, then the circuit opens and the suffering and sacrifice becomes redemptive.
Any sin that we may commit, if we are willing to lay it down for the sake of the world (for Christ indirectly) or for Christ (directly), that sacrifice and subsequent struggle that ensues as we dislodge ourselves (or Christ in us dislodges us) becomes a redemptive, life-giving struggle. So if a man lays down a pornography habit because he wants to be a better man, this, though commendable perhaps, may not have the redemptive quality that laying it down for his wife, children, or out of a deeper respect for women in general would have. Seeking a kinder disposition because we are unhappy with our way, is not redemptive, though it may help us become more “positive”. If we seek a kinder disposition because we are desirous to not damage others as we have, or because we want to show those around us our love instead of our discontent, or because we want to emulate someone we love, is redemptive for us and for others. The difference is love.
Whether this is the Metropolitan’s point I am not sure, judge for yourselves. But, as I thought on it today, I wanted to put it somewhere I would not forget it.
