> On suffering:
> >Sam: What gets me through suffering is the knowledge that it is a prime opportunity to learn >to trust God better .
> >I've learned also to pray that I would learn what God has to teach me from the experience. That kind of prayer teaches patience, teaches one to wait on the Lord, and turns the endurance of suffering from a passive thing into an active thing
> >"...that almost everything I know that's worth anything in an eternal sense comes from suffering.
>
> This has been on my mind a lot lately, the idea that suffering is a gift from God, meant to make us holy. Somehow I associate this with a somewhat Catholic viewpoint?--I don't know if anyone could enlighten me on that.

I'm not sure. You may get this impression because Catholics place a lot of stock in meditating on the suffering of Christ before and during the crucifixion (hence, Mel Gibson's movie). My own viewpoint is that this is an absolutely essential thing for any Christian to understand, but that the emphasis should be less on the suffering and more on the resurrection and on the hope and love it all implies.

As far as our own suffering goes, what we've talked about on the subject is directly biblical, and so should be understood by us all, as well as a staple of biblical counseling:

"Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better." -- Ecc. 7:3.

Despite what ultimately would seem to imply that we should ideally be suffering all the time, as much as possible, it's a lot *easier* to dig up verses about comforting those that are suffering. So I see suffering as something to avoid, both for oneself and for others. But when it *does* happen, it's a great opportunity to learn. Therein also lies my belief that prayer to end the suffering isn't a bad thing unless it's made with a disregard for being open to God turning the experience into a constructive one.

A great paradox, at least from a human perspective, is the emphasis the Bible gives (Psalms and Acts come to mind) on rejoicing *during* times of suffering. You don't have to be miserable during a time of suffering to get what you need out of it; probably, it's the opposite. Count the times David wrote a rejoiceful psalm amidst suffering, or Paul rejoiced in the Lord while imprisoned, and...well, I don't know how many times that is, but it's a lot. :-)