2 Corinthians 11:27-30 -- On Glory and Suffering

"In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?
If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities."
2 Corinthians 11:27-30


Paul is talking here of suffering that he has endured because he chooses to follow Christ, which is what makes the suffering seem worthwhile and joyous--he doesn't just enjoy suffering for its own sake. I think when we look at our lives, maybe we can see his point. All of us are going to go through trials and some suffering, so perhaps by the quality of our suffering, or rather the reason for it and how well we endured it, we can find some joy. If we could look back as Paul could and realize that we suffered for a good cause like standing up for Christ, rather than say, because we made several gigantic mistakes or something, it seems like it could be a sign of a well-lived life. :)

If that isn't why we have suffered in life, that's okay... God isn't planning on rubbing it in. I think the idea is just that even in our suffering, there are upgrades that God can make in our lives. Belief in and love of God can transform everything... not just our happiness level, which certainly goes up, but our satisfaction with ourselves even in the bad spots... and that seems like something to "glory in" and strive for. If following God can make us happy, even with the tough parts, that seems like an amazing life. Now of course, a life like that doesn't happen just because we say that we believe, but if we are doing our best and are truly dedicated to the Lord's cause, then a life like that follows naturally... the joyful times more joyful, the regular times happier, and even the bad times relativesly better, even if only through the absence of regret. I think it is something we don't even normally notice because we aren't living each day comparing happiness levels, but maybe something we notice after the fact. Today, maybe a good project is to really notice... if we do good things, does it improve our lives? For instance, reading scriptures and praying. If we do those things in the morning, are our days better than when we do not do those things. Let's make the experiment, and talk to God about it. As we do, I think we'll find that everything is better with God than without him.