1 Peter 2:20-25
20But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps.22 ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’23When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 ‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’
What death are you calling me to? I think of a situation I need to crucify that causes me pain. I rerun the painful experience over and over in my mind letting it hurt me again and again. It is not until I let it die can the wound begin to heal. How can the grace of healing occur when I do not leave room for transformation to happen? The Romans thought they were getting rid of a problem, but that negative was turned into blessing for all mankind. My experiences tell me that blessings come from struggling. Lord, can you help me find the blessing in my struggle?