What Is Real Suffering?

For several days out here in our area it has been cold, rainy, and very windy. We have been having such hot temperatures and then all of a sudden, temp dropped and it has just been nasty outside. My daughter was complaining that it was cold in the house. I knew it was cold. My nose has been freezing off, my hands have been cold, I've been wearing layers of clothes, and wearing shoes. Anyone that knows me knows I don't like wearing shoes around the house, but it has been too cold to go barefoot. We haven't turned the heat on because of the money situation. With working full time in the ministry and not having an income to count on coming in, we don't want to turn it on. We are just thankful to have a roof over our heads and walls around us to block the wind and rain. So, everytime little girl would complain I would say, "remember our homeless friends out there that are laying on the ground getting soaked." She would say, "yeah, I know." and she would go off continuing her schooling. Finally she complained one last time yesterday and I said "Just remember, it could be worse." She said, "It is warmer outside." Well, I knew that wasn't true so I made her step outside. The wind was about to blow her away and she wanted to come in, but I said, "no, not yet." I wanted her to really get it in her mind what it was like to be worse off. I told her I knew it was cold, but you just have to focus on the possibility that we may be out there one day and there is always someone worse off than you are.

I have a facebook account and one of our friends mentioned that they had a discussion at work about that very subject. What is suffering? Is suffering when you don't have the money to buy the latest video game or is suffering when you don't know where your next meal will be? Is suffering when you are having problems paying bills or when you don't even have a home to have any bills? Or....is suffering not knowing our Saviour and being entangled in the web of Satan? That is the ultimate suffering. We have so many homeless friends who really do know what suffering is. Most of them have been abused as children in the most horrible ways, don't have any family or friends, don't have a roof over their heads, can't get a job because once someone finds out they are homeless they won't hire them, they are caught in drugs to try to take away the loneliness and pain away, they only get one small meal a day and nothing on weekends, the police move them from one place to another and never have stability, have to rely on others to give them warm clothes, and have nowhere to go to a private bathroom or shower. But, I think the worst suffering they go through is the fact that most are empty and don't have God in their life. How hard it would be to go through all these things that they go through and not have hope.

So, next time you start complaining about things that REALLY aren't important in life like getting your hair and nails done, going on vacation, it isn't quite the right temperature, you don't have enough clothes, you don't have enough shoes, you have dishes to wash, laundry to do, think about what is real suffering and how many people are truelly suffering everyday. Thank God for your salvation. Give thanks for the home you live in. Thank God for your family. Thank Him for being able to buy groceries, dishes that you can do, and clothes to be able to wash. Pray for the people who are really suffering and reach out to them. They need friendship, they need love, but most of all they need a Saviour.