How to Suffer Well

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Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: http://pauljernberg.com

How well you respond to the reality of suffering is a matter of courage or fortitude. But if we perceive or even believe that our suffering is inconsequential or meaningless, then a reason to have courage can be elusive and we are left with our suffering intact as well as the undesirable addition of disillusionment and despair. In Catholicism, there’s this notion that you can offer your suffering to God, united in the suffering of Christ, for some good intention – like the salvation of loved ones. And when you do this, two things are promised, one is that God will actually use that suffering for some good, and two, you will be fortified against the worst aspects of your suffering. And if you can believe something like that, then when you offer up your suffering in the service of some greater good, suddenly, your suffering takes on a noble purpose and if you’re anything like me, you will be far more willing to suffer some adversity if you know that it will benefit someone else who needs it. And that becomes an unrivaled source of encouragement, from which we derive that needed courage and fortitude. We are suddenly motivated to embrace suffering rather than resist it because it acquires meaning and purpose. And resisting it is a futile thing, because we all experience it whether we embrace it or not.

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