Suffering and Trials

1Peter1

 “Strangers…peace, be multiplied.”

“…though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness”

“Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

1Peter4

“Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”

Lynda’s thoughts

In the past I always attributed actual martyrdom as what recently occurred at the churches in Iraq as Christian suffering. My life’s troubles don’t begin to compare.

So here is my ponder;  if I suffer is it automatically because I am a Christian or can I suffer just to suffer? If I am a Christian then are all trials because of Christ? If I am suffering or going through a trial is it how I got there and how I handle it that makes it a Christian trial? What if what we suffer that is just normal daily stuff like losing a job, or a health issue is just part of our humanity but how we got unemployed or how we handle the illness defines us as Christians. Am I over thinking it? Just putting it out there. Isn’t that what a blog is for?