Sherry Sterling

Dear friends,

I’ve heard it said that pain in this life is inevitable, but suffering—that’s a choice.

This saying was a bitter pill to swallow when I first came across it, as I’ve had my share of suffering. Who would choose to suffer?

Then I came to understand it as identifying pain as the initial injury, and suffering as the meaning I make of it. That’s where I have choice—how or if I take the next step of making meaning of pain.

It’s a reminder that I end up adding to the pain by what I tell myself about it, silently beating myself up over a mistake, or quietly fuming or downward spiraling about how others have wronged me.

For example, the suffering of misunderstanding can linger long after the pain of the conversation. Or the suffering of ruminating over how I made a misstep that caused an injury can increase the physical pain by adding emotional pain.

In the New Testament reading for today, from 1 Peter 2: 19-23, Peter encourages us to follow Christ’s example—to not add to the pain, to not escalate it with untruths. And he gives us a next step, to leave the outcome up to God:

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

If I can step out of my pain for a moment, and entrust the bigger picture to a bigger power that is holding it all, the shift of context gives breathing room, quiets my story-telling assessing mind, and allows space for God’s wisdom to prevail.

Not my will, but Thine be done. My prayer, again and again.

Peace and love,

—Sherry