Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance.
— Romans 5:3
At some point in your Christian life, you may have heard that Jesus wants to set you free from all your suffering, and that is true—He does. However, there is a transition involved, and transition is never easy. The pathway to freedom and enjoying your life may be difficult at times. However, pressing forward toward freedom is definitely easier than staying in bondage.
When I first realized that Jesus could and desired to set me free, I wanted to have that freedom. But my attitude was, "I will not suffer anymore; I have suffered enough." But as long as we are in bondage, we are suffering anyway; and it is the type of suffering that has no end. If we are willing to let Jesus lead us through whatever we must go through in order to be free, it may hurt for a while; but at least it will be suffering that leads to victory, to a new life of freedom.
Many people never experience the joy of freedom because of a wrong mindset concerning suffering. These scriptures reveal that we should choose by faith to be joyful while we are going through difficult transitions, knowing that because God loves us, it will produce a good end, which is, in this case, mature character.
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