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The women wept for Him, and still, in His abounding compassion, He told them, “If this is the fate of the innocent, what of the guilty?”

Amid His great suffering and on the road to His unequaled agony on the cross, Jesus focuses on others, not Himself. Compassion for others rose above any semblance of victimhood. His suffering was not the end but the means. Through it, His hope for the redemption of others rose above everything else. His love triumphed in His suffering.

Suffering is not something to delight in, nor is it something to wallow in. In Jesus, we are invited to live like Him, to live unto eternity every moment of every day. This is not something that varies from good days to bad days. It secures us no matter what the day looks or feels like. Even in the darkness, He is there with us. He calls us to take up our cross daily because when we have died to ourselves and now live unto Him, we have made a choice. Death is not thrust upon us; we have already given our lives to Him just as He had already decided in the garden, “Father…not my will but yours.” When we die to self and the advancement of our quasi-comfortable yet mortal kingdom for the advancement of His Kingdom, we move forward in power, not victimhood. Even though we suffer, we endure through Him who gives us strength and eternal victory (Philippians 4:10-13, 2 Tim 2:10). We are no longer the perpetual victim. For in Christ, we are more than conquerors.

Reflection: Commit 2 Timothy 2:10 to memory.

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