Suffering is essential to distinguish our motives. In the quagmire of our fallen hearts, we can have a hard time differentiating between pure motives and pride, selfless service and our own ambition. As God refines us “in the furnace of suffering” (Isa. 48:10 nlt), our true motivations are revealed. Through the fire of affliction, the dross floats to the surface, and we’re forced to own up to the junk we see there and deal with it.
