Suffering

I just keep running into stuff that has to do with our
attitude about our circumstances.  Or maybe it's
running into me=) This message from Gary Henry
(wordpoints.com)is another of those.  Have a wonderful,
joyful and contented week!

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WordPoints: Daily Devotionals
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March 2: More Than Mere Suffering

"Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with
crushed grain, yet his foolishness will not depart from him"
(Proverbs 27:22).

Not all who suffer learn the lessons that suffering can
teach. The Proverbs vividly describe the fool who is
chastened often by life's painful experiences but who
never learns what he's being taught. The wise person
pays attention to pain, making the right changes in his
life when he sees what the consequences of wrongful
behavior are.  Yet the fool pays no heed. He blames and
he complains, but he doesn't learn. "As a dog returns to
his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly" (Proverbs
26:11).

How can we avoid this foolishness? When we suffer, how can
we keep our eyes open?

Much could be said, but the answer comes down to this: only
the tender heart is teachable. When we find ourselves
responding to pain with resentment, it's probable that our
hearts have started to become tough and unteachable.
Self-pity, bitterness, and suchlike often tempt us when our
hearts are heavy. But if we choose a "hard" response to
suffering -- that is, if we let go of either reverence or
gratitude -- then we lose the humility that is required for
learning. But there is also a danger on the other side. If
we find ourselves becoming secretly proud of the "humble" way
we're dealing with our difficulties, then this martyr-spirit
will likewise keep us from learning as we should. To be
teachable, we must be neither cynical nor sanctimonious.

James wrote, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall
into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith
produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work,
that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing"
(James 1:2-4). In the end, it is self-centeredness that
prevents patience from having its perfect work. To gain
wisdom from our suffering, our focus must not be on
ourselves. The main object in life is neither to defend
ourselves against suffering nor to exploit it
self-righteously, but to seek a greater Truth outside of
ourselves.

"I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If 
suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise,
since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added
mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness,
and the willingness to remain vulnerable" (Anne Morrow
Lindbergh).