Suffering in the Son

Saturday was planting day. We spent the afternoon planting merigolds, daylillies and periwinkles--all 216 of them! The kids were determined to help dig the holes for the flowers. With the week's previous rain, the soil was nice and loose. Nearly every hole we dug, we found an earthworm. Any fisherman would've wanted to dig in our dirt because of the abundance of bait. Gracie was amused at how funny the worms acted when we disturbed them. They would wiggle and writhe, moving to and fro, obviously upset that we had discovered them. After watching them for a few seconds, it was clear they were uncomfortable in the hot sun and wanted to be put back in their home.

Have you ever suffered because of a choice you made? Maybe it was the right choice and people looked down on you for it. Or, are you going through a difficult time and wondering when it will be over?

1 Peter 4:16 gives some encouragement, "If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed but praise God that you bear that name." Making the right choice because of conviction isn't always easy, but suffering because you see the bigger picture is well worth the effort it takes to come through the other side.