suffering of the masses

a few years ago i had a sticker on my truck that simply read "suffer for it".  it's a small saying but i think that it implies quite a bit.  the slogan was coined for a climbing company called "so ill".  obviously they had in mind climbing when they came up with it, and being a climber myself i know exactly what they meant.  blown pulleys, bloody fingers, broken bones, the endless driving/hiking to the middle of nowhere, the cold/heat, no sleep...... and the worst thing is, we climbers love every minute of it.

so what else could that phrase be attached to?  anything really.  sports, work, religion, relationships, etc. the list goes on.  i think a better question is, have you ever suffered for the sake of someone else?  have you ever experienced a loss so that someone else could gain something they needed desperately?  

Christ is the ultimate image of suffering.  He took on the afflictions of all mankind so that we could be free from it all.  what have we done?  how have we suffered for Him and His Kingdom?  ridicule, persecutions, martyrdom...

1 peter 4:16 (niv) "however, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name".

really the over all thought here is, if you are going to suffer for something, make sure that it's something bigger than yourself.  make sure that there is meaning to the pain.  actions truly do speak louder than words.  do something worth while.