This morning during my online devotional reading, I was drawn to the devotional with this title. I read it through several times. The focus was on Paul. You know him, I’m sure, the one who was shipwrecked, beaten, tortured and imprisoned. But he also kept preaching the gospel.

Paul’s answer to his suffering is told throughout the many letters he wrote that are included in the New Testament. The focus of this devotional was on Philippians. According to the author of the devotional, Shawn Johnson, Paul says sixteen times in this book to rejoice.

Not once does Paul say to rejoice when all is going right and your world is just as it should be. He just says to rejoice in spite of challenges and difficulties, or actually, in the middle of them.

Like the author of the devotional, I tend to throw myself pity-parties. Then, when no one attends with me, I am disappointed, pull myself out of my funk for a little while until time to throw another party. Paul didn’t throw a single pity party. Instead, he exhorted anyone who would listen to rejoice, not to whine and complain about suffering. Paul knew more about suffering than I have ever known and yet he did not moan about it. In fact, do you remember that while he was in prison one time, he and Silas were singing praises? What a model for us!

Paul knew that his suffering had a purpose and set out to fulfill it.

He clearly states that the gospel has been advanced and that his suffering has helped to promote the spread of the truth about Jesus. Notice that Paul is not boasting here. He is stating facts that all of the palace guards and “everyone else” knows that he is imprisoned for Christ. He doesn’t say all of them have believed, but he does say “most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord…” And even more that they are not afraid to proclaim the gospel because they have seen Paul’s boldness. Now, my friends, that is boldness with a purpose!

I read all of this and pondered it, coming up with this blog post as I considered my “affliction” with my foot. I threw a pity party and no one came. I railed at God and I am sure He listened with compassion, but the injury is still there. Now, I am to the point that I want to know the purpose of this whole thing. God brings good from everything according to Romans, so although I don’t know what good purpose could come from a broken foot, I am willing to have God show me and use me. That is the best that I can do right now. But for me, I think that is enough. I have surrendered my desire to be completely healed to God’s will to use the injury for a bigger purpose. I hope you will join my in prayer that He will show me what that purpose is and give me the strength and grace to fulfill it. I am no Paul but I am a willing servant of the Lord, broken but not forsaken. And in that I am rejoicing!