The 2026 Winter Olympics ended recently. As I watched the different sports, I was constantly in amazement at the artistry, risk, accuracy, and sure grit of each competitor. Whether it was the mesmerizing curling event or the beauty and majesty of figure skating, I wanted to witness the competition and consider the hard work each of the athletes put into practice and preparation.
One story that caught my attention was the Haitian cross-country skier, Stevenson Savart. He was born in Gressier, Haiti, in 2000 and at the age of three, a French couple adopted him. He grew up in the eastern part of France where skiing became part of his life. He decided to compete for Haiti in this year’s Winter Olympics in cross-country skiing, the first person from Haiti to compete in this sport. He chose to compete for Haiti to bring light to the struggles of the Haitian people and to show younger people in Haiti that it is possible for them to compete.
In our world there are many places where suffering is a daily experience. Whether it is food insecurity, fighting, environmental adversity, or struggles of daily life, everyone at some point faces issues and suffering in life. The battle to overcome the suffering or issue, brings about a level of endurance, as we lean further into the Lord to give us the strength we need, while facing each challenge forward facing and ready to give our all. Paul writes in the rest of Romans 5:3, “knowing that suffering produces endurance.”
Suffering breeds endurance as we live in the present moment knowing we are not alone. We have someone who joins us in our suffering. We have a God who walks with us through the suffering and uses the adversity to help us grow into the person God created us to be. You may remember the quote I shared last week from Anne Mathews-Younes, “Jones affirms that we can make our sorrows contribute to transforming ourselves and others.”
Suffering is no longer in control of our lives when we rejoice in the knowledge of God’s presence and because we know God will use our present suffering to bring endurance in our lives. We can be like the cross-country skier who pushes toward the finish line. We know suffering may cause pain and deep emotion, but we know there is something far greater for us as we experience the strength God brings into our lives and opportunities for us to be transformed to be more like Jesus.
When we move from wallowing in our suffering to rejoicing in our suffering, we experience transformation in our heart and life. The suffering still stirs our inner person and causes us difficulty, yet we move forward knowing God is using our present condition to help us grow.
Prayer: Lord, when I struggle and experience suffering, please redeem those times in my life. Use them to help me be transformed and grow toward a more mature follower of Jesus. In Jesus’ name. Amen.