Why Does God Call Suffering A Fruit?

Yes, I know I’m nearly 30 days behind on my announcement for the second post in my blog series, “20 in the Waiting Room: Pursuit of Motherhood.” But here we are! Life has been full of good things lately, and I’m learning to juggle it all a little better.

In my first blog, I introduced my fertility journey, and there’s more to come on that front. However, today I want to shift gears and focus on the emotional stability—or lack thereof—associated with reproductive challenges.

Recently, my brother Jonathan and I had a deep conversation about suffering and how it often creates a black hole of shame and self-pity. Suffering manifests in various forms, including physical, emotional, mental, and psychological challenges. The Oxford Dictionary defines suffering as “the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship,” while Webster echoes this with “the bearing of pain, inconvenience, or loss.” These definitions resonate with me because we all have encountered suffering at some point; it’s an inherent part of life in this imperfect world.

Suffering can catch us off guard, leading to an endless cycle of trauma. Whether it's short-term or long-term, self-inflicted or caused by external forces, one thing remains clear: suffering equates to pain.

During our conversation, I reflected on how much of my fertility journey has involved pain stemming from my childlessness, especially after my marriage when I felt entirely ready to start a family. I often felt as if I were being punished for some unknown misdeed—particularly because I believed I had “done everything right.” At times, I let toxic thoughts consume me, especially during significant events like Mother’s Day or when receiving invitations to baby showers. I’ll admit that I sought out pity, as the weight of shame felt suffocating. Exhale… that was difficult to share!

The Bible offers numerous illustrations of suffering, revealing that the experiences and outcomes resonate with what we go through today. In a devotional a few months back, I found solace in Galatians 5:22 (NKJV): “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.” In some translations, "longsuffering" is replaced with "patience." The reality is that being patient can sometimes feel like an internal struggle, especially when God seems silent or distant from our suffering. This is a genuine feeling, yet we must remember that our suffering is actually a fruit of His Spirit.

Prayer is essential in processing these feelings. Only God can reveal what your suffering means within the larger context of your life. The enemy delights in our suffering, hoping we adopt a victim mentality, believing that God has turned away from us or that He is unable to fulfill our requests. But let me clarify: that is false. God is always blameless.

When we surrender our suffering to God, something miraculous occurs. Healing, purpose, clarity, faith, hope, and increase can all manifest when placed in His capable hands.

As human beings, we often view suffering through a one-sided lens, trapping us in feelings of abandonment by God. Yet, there’s another perspective to consider. No matter what we face, God possesses the greatest capacity to help us deal with our suffering and our emotional responses to it.

God refers to suffering and longsuffering as a fruit because of His enduring posture toward us. Even when we turn from Him, He remains patient and persistently pursues us. If we can adopt His nature, seeking Him with the same fervor as we long for our desires, we can experience the fruits of His glory. My sister-in-law, Danielle, often shares these two encouraging verses with me:

1 Peter 5:10: “In his kindness, God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you and place you on a firm foundation.”

Romans 8:18: “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”

So, choose to give your suffering to God, and watch Him work. His glory turns our struggles into wins!