All suffering in the Christian life has an aim and an end, “an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17). Every moment of our suffering is a “love token,” proof of God’s favor, proof of his enduring love, proof of his fatherhood over us, proof of his divine claim on us, proof of his friendship to us, and proof of our preciousness to him.45 The same Christ who was pierced for sinners is the Christ who governs and rules over every trial, measuring every sting with “a love which can give no unnecessary pain to those for whom he died upon the cross.”46
