Suffering and the Removal of False Hope

And we[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Suffering these days is talked about more and more and more but Im not sure we get the point yet. We don't look to suffer just because thats what good christians do. Of course it can be a mark of dedication but there are several scriptures that point to the benefit of suffering such as this. I was talking to a friend this morning who was talking to me about their interaction with an ex. They said it was hard and overwhelming because in some sense they still had some false hope for the situation. This scripture immediately popped into mind and made me think of the process. It says suffering produces perseverence; perseverance, character; and character, Hope...In Peter it talks about our trials Refining our faith so it can be made genuine. I was thinking about how many false hopes we have and place in this world. I asked what having that false hope removed through time seeing the ex and realizing it wasnt something that needed to happen. The answer? "Made me put my hope in christ"

What does this mean? Well the process of sanctification is not one of becoming a better person, its becoming more like christ. To do so we must place more and more trust and let go of more of ourselves. So it is fairly obvious that you cant truly trust someone in the easy times for the simple fact that you aren't really having to trust. If its a sure thing you cant really be let down. It is in times of great vulnerability when your faith is being shaken or when your heart is aching that the true measure of trust is shown. Having all of our false hope stripped away and having to rely on Christ and trust. In short all I mean to say is if you truly want to know Christ and be made more like him you must be willing to have your foundations shaken. Until you world is crumbling you cant understand the need to hold onto Christ. We know this world wont satisfy so my prayer is that you will rejoice in your sufferings just as you rejoice in the good times. It is through the mess that his glory shines through. To know him you must know hurt(he hurt unto death btw). If you long to know his hope more and share it with the world it will get hard. But the joy oh the joy of knowing him and making him known!!