“Don’t waste your suffering,” I said in a recent sermon as we reflected on Joseph.  Joseph’s transition from a spoiled, self-centered, arrogant adolescent to a dependable, mature, faithful adult was occasioned by suffering – the murder plot of his own brothers that became instead a trip through the desert to the slave auction block.  His suffering changed him.

In chapter 3 of William P. Young’s The Shack, we are being prepared for “the great sadness,” which unfolds in the following chapter.  Mack, the central character, has met some friends on a camping trip.  The conversation takes an unexpected turn when Mack finds himself revealing the great sadness of his early life – his father drank himself to death.

Every sadness unfolds a mix of shock, blame, guilt, and fear.  It is usually unwise and counterproductive to short circuit the process of working through these emotions.  But eventually, we choose to embrace a new normality of life without the person who is lost.

Sometime in that process, we must open a window into our soul and let God’s light penetrate with healing and hope.  In the security of his presence and grace, we have to ask how the suffering has changed us – or could change us – for the better.  There may be many possible answers, including the one that Paul gives in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – that our sadness will equip us to comfort others in their time of need.

But if we never open our hearts to God’s grace, we end up wasting our suffering – which in many cases becomes a tragedy equal to the suffering itself.