Suffering

There is a lot in the Bible about suffering. In Old Testament times it was usually agreed suffering was because of sin and God's anger. One person's sin could bring suffering to the whole nation of Israel.

But in the New Testament we are told repeatedly that suffering comes to conform us to the likeness of Christ. One of the things that struck me as I read Philippians is that how I handle suffering can advance or hinder the spread of the Gospel (1:12, 1:14) 

And that made me think of Romans 8:28-29. Whatever is happening in my life, even the evil things of this world that God allows but does not cause, can be used to conform me to the image of Christ. Those things can be used by God, if we are willing, to give us the mind and the heart of Christ.

In Philippians 1:29, Paul uses the phrase "It has been granted to you...to suffer.." Wow. That sounds like suffering is a privilege granted by God. So how do I view any suffering? If I cheat in a relationship or betray a confidence, if I spend more that I make, if I steal time or material from my boss - if I do any of these things, I am only suffering consequences but do I consider the illness, the job loss, the financial difficulty, the broken relationship that seems to come from nowhere, or come because I took a stand for righteousness, as a PRIVILEGE granted to me by God? All because He loves me and wants me to be more like His Son.