Learning Through Suffering

As a follow-up to the last post, the same folks who put on the Christians with Chronic Illness carnival also put together a Yahoo Group called Chronic Illness/Pain Devotional. The host of the group put out an amazing post on the benefits of suffering. In it, she says,

Suffering teaches us:

1. the value of full surrender to God (1 Peter 4:1-2)

2. the value of patience (1 Peter 2:20) 

3. the value of obedience (Philippians 2:8-11)

4. the value of prayer (Philippians 4:6-7)

5. the value of studying the Scriptures (Psalm 119:67,71). 

6. contentment (Philippians 4:11-12)

7. sympathy for others (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

8. it produces the fruit of righteousness in our lives (John 15:2)

9. probably the greatest benefit to suffering in the life of the

believer is that it produces a deeper intimacy with God

This is perhaps the best "short list" of what we learn through our suffering that I've seen. I connected the scripture references, not necessarily because they are logical supports to the point, but because by connecting the points with the scriptures, I better understand how suffering relates to those scriptures.