I typed the words in the title, despite the argument going on in my mind. One side says the words Rejoicing and Suffering don't even belong in the same sentence. But a Higher Authority says otherwise:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:1-5
(Note that Paul did not say we rejoice because of our sufferings, but in them.) I had read this passage many times; in fact, it was already underlined, in my Bible. But the changes in my physical well-being, this past year made the sentence in the middle jump out at me.
I have grappled for the past six months with the question of how to live with pain, every day, and remain upbeat, joyful in spite of suffering (which is not what Paul wrote, but I'm working on it!), trusting that God has His reason for not answering the many prayers that have been prayed for my healing. And I do trust Him for having a reason, and therefore, I wait on Him; remaining upbeat and joyful, in spite of pain and in pain--? Hey, I'm still working on accepting that this is now my life, and it is a different life than what I lived before the pain got bad enough to drive me into surgery.
My goal is not "positive thinking," "positive affirmations," or unfounded optimism. My goal is a quiet and trusting spirit.
The passage quoted above does not tell us how to rejoice in our sufferings. But it does go on to tell us why: They produce perseverance, which produces character, which produces hope.
[The paragraph that was here is better developed in my Update on Rejoicing in Suffering, 02/05/2012.]
I have two choices: I can slide into self-pity and become a whiner and a complainer, thus ruining the rest of my life, and Bruce's life, as well. Or I can let Christ's strength be made perfect in my weakness and learn to rejoice in the pain. I can find ways to compensate for at least some of the changes in my life. And I can be open to however God wants to use me, still.
