To choose to suffer means that something is wrong. To choose God’s will even if it means suffering is a very different thing. Healthy saints never choose suffering; they choose God’s will, whether it means suffering or not, just as Jesus did.
A saint never dares to interfere with the discipline of suffering in another saint. The people who do us good aren’t those who sympathize with us; they are those who help make us strong and mature for God. Sympathy holds us back; it saps our energy and fills us with self-pity. When we accept sympathy, the thought that goes through our mind is “God is dealing harshly with me.” That is why Jesus said self-pity was of the devil. When Peter implied that God, in allowing Jesus to be put to death, was being too harsh, Jesus replied, “Get behind me, Satan!” (Matthew 16:23).
Beware of the thought that Jesus needed sympathy in his earthly life. He refused sympathy from people, because he knew that no one on earth understood what he was after. Only the Father understood his purposes: “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4).
Be merciful to God’s reputation. It’s easy to tarnish his character, because God never answers back; he never vindicates himself. It may seem that he is wasting his saints, because he sends them to places the world considers useless. Even those who are called by God may misunderstand their calling. We say, “God intends me to be here because I am so useful.” God puts his saints where they will glorify him, and we are not at all capable of judging where that will be.
