Why does it have to hurt so much?

Over the past several years I have written numerous poems at different seasons, with very similar messages along these lines. Several of them relate to a joy or blessing received from Him, but most express the struggle of learning through fellowship in His sufferings. My intent is to post some of these poems in the coming weeks, but for now I want to share what He has been revealing to me over the past few years. I read recently about an individual who asked the question "Why does it have to hurt so much?" Before I get to the writers response to this question, I want to express the reason I have often asked this same question of our Almighty God.

It isn't that I have known the intense physical pain of a severe or chronic illness, nor that I have experienced a great deal of loss. In all honesty I have lived a very comfortable life. Sure, I have felt the sting of a goodbye I was not eager to say; this has made me long all the more for eternity, and I realize this longing is the very reason the sting cuts so deep. The most intense pain I think I've ever experienced though, is the burden for the suffering and sin in this world. Every day I am burdened by the weight of my own sin, and this week the sin and suffering of others I love or at least respect has been heavy on my heart.

In the past 10 years of my life, I have asked God several times to break my heart with what breaks His, and to help me see others through His eyes. If I had known then what I understand now, I'm not sure I would have ever asked Him. This burden is heavy, and I often don't lay it down as I should. However, what He has shown me through the hours of tears, time spent on my knees, and casting these cares on Him is that in this way, I can have fellowship in His Suffering. Does this mean I have fully understood His or anyone's suffering? By no means! I have not yet arrived, but at least in part I am starting to learn what it means to have fellowship in His suffering. Now, I can begin to understand the urgent need of our world for a Savior who rescues sinners.

Here is Elizabeth Elliot's response to that question "Why does it have to hurt so much?": "It hurts because it is suffering, real suffering. It would not be suffering if it did not hurt... None of us likes pain... Let's settle it once and for all: We cannot know Christ and the power of His resurrection without the fellowship of His suffering."

In no particular order, these all speak to the suffering we are called to endure as we walk in His steps: 1 Peter 2, Hebrews 2, Phil. 1:29 and 3:8-14, 2 Tim 2:3