In the past I have skimmed over these two verses in 1 Peter 4:12-13:
Do not be surprised by the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange is happening to you. But rejoice that you are sharing in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.
I skimmed over it for one main reason, I felt that no matter what I was going through, it couldn’t be important enough or spiritual enough to qualify as ‘sharing in the sufferings of Christ.’ Thinking this way made the passage somehow irrelevant for me. Lately though, I’ve begun seeing things a bit differently. I’ve come to realize that there are times that my difficulties stem not from my own bad choices, nor my own pride, nor my own sin, but because I have been identified as a follower of Christ. (I write this with humble trepidation and be assured that I only come to this thought after lots of prayer, confession, and self-examination and with the full admission that I could be wrong at any time). In this light, then, there are times that problems come to me as a result of my faith and the stand for Jesus that I take.
Okay, then NOW these two verses speak to me, and they give me peace. Peace first off because they remind me I am not alone. Jesus suffered horribly on the cross (and I realize that for me, any sort of physical martyrdom is highly unlikely). However. He also suffered when He was mocked and ridiculed. Jesus hurt when He was misunderstood (intentionally and in ignorance). He agonized when those He had come to save just didn’t get it. It is because of those moments that I have peace. Second, I have peace because of one word in 1 Peter 4:13 – that small word: when. The verse doesn’t say we might be overjoyed if Jesus finds a path to glory. It says we will be overjoyed WHEN His glory is revealed. How amazing! How comforting! How beautiful to know that when I am in hard times because of my faith in Jesus, nothing is tentative, nothing is contingent. When the time comes, I will be overjoyed. Knowing this gives me strength and hope, and allows me to rejoice today, in this moment, and under these hard circumstances.
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