We often aspire to being like Christ in His gentleness, kindness and compassion; yet, we shrink back from participating in His suffering. Suffering can be part and parcel of life itself; most of us don’t get through life without a generous portion of it. The question is this, “How should we suffer?” If we are serious about following Jesus, then the answer is that we learn to suffer in the ways He suffered; we learn to respond to suffering the way He did. Our suffering then becomes cruciform. This too is Christlikeness.
“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,… and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.” (1 Peter 2:21,23 NASB)
From “Growing Toward Maturity”, by H. Lamar Smith.
