Suffering is a privilege... say what?

Good afternoon! I hope that everyone is having a wonderful day enjoying this beautiful weather with family and friends! Last week was extremely busy dealing with school but thankfully last Friday we did not have school because of parent-teacher conferences. Friday was so wonderful because I got to catch up on my sleep which means catching up on my energy and that was much needed after this crazy and fast moving week. This morning in my quiet time I read 1 Peter and all I can say is WOW. That crazy week jam-packed with quizzes and tests put me in a pretty foul mood and in an instant I was so wrapped up with everything that was going which caused me to temporarily forget the countless number of blessings I have in my life. Life moves extremely fast and it is SO easy to get stuck in this fast paced world and view our sufferings as burdens, when in reality they are the exact opposite. On this blog I always quote James 1:1 ("Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.") because I know that every trial that the LORD blesses us with ultimately draws us closer to the LORD and teaches us to depend solely on him. I know this because all last year I suffered with my battle against cancer and I learned so many lessons that some people do not even have the opportunity to learn, and what a PRIVILEGE it was to suffer for Christ's glory. The LORD's plan is so magnificent and he does not give us trials to punish us but to strengthen us and bring glory to his name. The frustrating thing is that sometimes when our world is falling apart we fail to keep in mind the bigger picture. Everything happens for a reason and sometimes the LORD's plan is revealed to us when other times we never understand why. Not understanding why the LORD would let "bad things happen to good people" leads us to doubt the magnificent plan the LORD already has laid out for us. When in reality we are not good people. We are so consumed and dead in our sin, failing the LORD day after day. The question is not "why do bad things happen to good people" but the question is be "why is the LORD's mercy so unfailing for broken sinners like me". Maybe you are dealing with a death in the family or maybe you are dealing with family trouble at home. Whatever your trial is, even though you may be extremely frustrated, I challenge you to view it as a blessing."But rejoice in that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." 1 Peter 4:13.  I know what it feels like for something bad to happen to and honestly it always seems to happen at the worst time possible. You may feel like your world is falling apart but we have such an awesome God who is trailing behind us picking up our broken pieces and gluing them back together. There is nothing better than reading scripture and realizing that it was exactly what you needed to hear and after reading 1 Peter all of the things that troubled me were suddenly settled as the LORD spoke to me through his Word and calmed my heart. This past week I was super frustrated with my situation but after reading this it put everything in perspective. Suffering is a privilege and know that there is always a reason even though sometimes it might take you a little while for this reason to be revealed to you. Chase after the LORD and be patient in waiting. "after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast." 1 Peter 5:10. I hope everyone has a great rest of the day and has a good time trick-or-treating!