Welcome Friends
In Matthew 16:24, Jesus said:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
When He said that, He meant two things:
1. He was going to suffer
2. Anyone who follows Him will suffer too
whether it’s financial, physical, relational, mental, or emotional.
Sometimes suffering chooses us—like the story of Job.
Sometimes we choose it—like Adam and Eve, who ate from the tree God told them not to touch.
And sometimes it’s a bit of both.
But you can always choose what you do with your suffering
For me, over the past 40 years of my life- I did not handle suffering in the right way
and I missed great opportunities and I want to share with you
what scripture calls us not to do and what scripture calls us to do
What Not to Do in Suffering
Sometimes in our suffering
We play the victim—telling our story only to gain sympathy.
We lash out—through name-calling, yelling, accusing, attacking.
We turn to destructive escapes—anger, alcohol, self-medicating, binging, or overspending.
What Scripture Calls Us To Do
1 Peter 4:1–6 says that when suffering comes, we really only have two choices:
1.Respond in the flesh—and you will sin.
2.Respond in the Spirit—and you will serve.
In our suffering, we must not feed the desires of the flesh.
but rather think about how Jesus responded
He always responded in the Spirit, and He always chose to serve others
The most helpful people
Think about it
the most helpful people in your life are often those who have walked through
complicated, painful seasons themselves
They endured their struggles with the Lord, and as a result, they are able to help others.
That’s why we hear people say: “I get it.”
It means, “I’ve been through it. I came out on the other side. Now I can walk with you through it too.”
The most harmful people
The most harmful people are often those who have also suffered
but they never handled it in a godly way.
Instead of letting God transform their pain, they let their pain harden them.
These people hurt others, but they also continue to hurt themselves
In their bitterness, they miss the opportunity to serve and uplift those who walk a similar path.
What could have been a source of healing for others becomes instead a cycle of pain
Suffering always comes at a high price
it drains your time, your energy, your money, your emotion and even pieces of your heart.
Since suffering is so expensive, don’t waste it on sin.
Instead, invest it in serving
Allow it to shape you and then use it to lift up others who are walking the same road.
That’s the way of Jesus: Suffer and Serve.
So let me leave you with this question:
👉 Is your suffering leading you to sin—or to serve?
Whatever you’re going through right now
is an opportunity to grow, to learn, and to let God shape you.
And once He shapes you,
you can turn around and use your suffering to help someone else
Jesus came as our suffering servant -Jesus in his suffering was our servant
so when we are suffering, we need to learn to be servants
True change starts from within
Let’s open our hearts and allow God to shape us
so we can better impact the world around us
https://echosofmyfootsteps.com
