Suffering. It’s what makes us truly human.
Now, before the events of Genesis 3, that claim would sound ridiculous. When God created the universe and all that is within it, crowning creation with humanity, in His infinite wisdom and perfect judgment, He called it “Very good.” Adam and Eve were allowed to flourish, in harmony with God, nature, and each other, without the fear or reality of death. In the garden, there was no need for waiting rooms where couples who had pledged their lives to each other in their youth are informed that cancer would not allow them to be together in their old age. Simply, there was a stark absence of suffering.
Presumably, regardless of whether you’re a Christian or not, you realize that suffering is now a very present reality. It penetrates relationships, interrupts schedules, and finds a crevice in our psyche. And yet, despite the pain and suffering of the current human condition, the Apostle Peter would write to the dispersed Christians, “ but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” This is the primary apologetic text that encourages all Christians everywhere to be ready to give ample reasons for our hope. While this text is often interpreted to mean defending Christianity against outside influences and naysayers, it is also important to recognize its intrapersonal implications.
When we go through periods of intense suffering, it is easy to lose sight of Christ and the hope that he brings. Ironically, as Christians, it is often ourselves who need to be reminded of the hope that we have and the reasons for that hope. Thus, to deal with everyday suffering apologetically is to defend the Christian hope and the reasons for that hope to ourselves. Sometimes, we must even speak sternly with ourselves as the Psalmist does in Psalms 42, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation6 and my God.” Without hope, we will easily be overcome by the sufferings of the present world. Which is why we must defend that hope, recognizing with the Apostle Paul that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
Christian, remind yourself daily, with every onslaught of suffering, that we have a hope and anchor that is steadfast and sure, beyond the grave, where evil and pain cannot touch it. That hope is Jesus, and he is worth defending, even to ourselves.
Written by Matthew Jones