Tensions were rising. Emotions were elevating as people went from frustrated to angry.

The airplane that we were waiting to board had just suffered its fourth delay. Stormy weather mixed with mechanical delays had pushed our departure time back more than 3 hours.

What had started off as individual travelers who had trickled in to wait on flight 4744 had devolved into a highly volatile mass of people ready to revolt against the airlines (in particular, the poor ticket clerk who was responsible for continuing to give us updates via the intercom).

The few hours’ worth of mental, emotional, and physical wear and tear had bonded the group and fused them together based on their collective suffering.

Perfect strangers, who just a couple hours ago sat as far away from each other at the gating area as possible while furtively eyeballing everyone else suspiciously over the corners of their laptops, magazines, or books, now extended condolences and sympathetic glances to one another with each flight setback.

Suffering is a powerful driver.

It exposes our human weakness and reminds us that we really control nothing in our lives.

Suffering helps us remember that we’re in this together and elevates our human compassion for others.

It’s universal. We all experience suffering at some point in time or another.

Suffering binds us.

Jesus experienced suffering at a level none of us ever will.

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.” (Isaiah 53:3 NIV)

For Christ-followers, it’s His suffering that impacts us daily. His sacrificial suffering humbles us to the core and motivates us to try to get love right. To love others better today than we even did yesterday.

His suffering, offered freely in love, is what fuses our hearts to His. Embracing His suffering binds us to Him and positions us to know that even as we navigate sufferings in this world, He is with us.

And the sufferings are temporary.

“For our momentary light affliction [suffering] is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.” (2 Corinthians 4:17 HCSB)

Amen.

Until next time, Grace and Glory!