The Opportunity to Suffer / Guest Post by Jamie Ramer

Coming from a Canadian hockey background, I have always been drawn to stories of perseverance through pain and suffering, whether it’s intense training that leads to a championship or someone’s ability to battle back from injury. 

In light of this, I have also had a quiet admiration for those who have submitted themselves to American SEAL (Navy Sea, Air, and Land Teams) training, especially those who make it all the way through the grueling process—and even those who experience the disappointment of being eliminated.

I have read a couple of great books that tell incredible journeys and life stories: Fearless by Eric Blehm, Seal of God by Chad Williams, and even a recent Pure Encouragement blog by Corey Owens. Becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL requires passing a two-year training pipeline starting with a 10-week boot camp, specialized prep, and the grueling five-week Hell Week.

I am sure there are many points in that process where one might question the purpose of the suffering. Is it necessary? Is it helpful? Some underwater tests seem to require participants to demonstrate a willingness to stay committed even to the point of death, while at the same time taking every precaution to ensure that doesn’t happen.

The Navy clearly sees this testing and suffering as necessary to prepare future SEALs for life-or-death missions for the greater good. That doesn’t mean they enjoy the training or ask for more hardship, yet they are seen as heroes as they faithfully carry out their assignments—whether they live or die. In my life of faith, I wonder if I need to grow into more of a Navy SEAL perspective on suffering. Why is it that I can understand the purpose of suffering in sport or in SEAL training, yet still think my life as a believer should be free from it?

In recent months, I have had to face some challenging health realities that I didn’t see coming. To be clear, I know many people are facing far greater challenges than I am, but this has forced me to wrestle with my understanding of suffering and the life of a believer. Is this an unnecessary obstacle I just need to get through… or is it actually an opportunity God is using to deepen my relationship with Him?

Navy SEAL applicants are forced to trust their trainers to know what is best for them. How much more should I trust my God, who loves me and cares for me deeply? I should not be surprised by challenges. Jesus said in John 16:33:

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

As God permits or directs challenges in my life, will I allow Him to use them to help me trust, depend on, and glorify Him—and to prepare me for whatever He has ahead? I am certainly more aware now than I was six months ago that my days are numbered and my life on earth is fleeting (Psalm 40:4), whether that means 50 or even 100 years. I may have thought my future was more certain than it really was, but I’ve come to realize that I don’t need to “be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

God does not always remove the problems in our lives. Even in the example of Job, we see that for those who draw near to Him, He provides a supernatural peace in the midst of unfathomable pain and relentless uncertainty (Consider the Lilies, p. 23). I don’t think I’ve arrived at all that God wants to teach me in this season, but I do believe I’ve grown. Part of me wants to move past this season—and I do pray for that—but I also want to embrace what God has for me in it.

Every Day Revolutionary challenged me with this: “Suffering is an opportunity. You don’t have to enjoy it, but don’t waste it.” Joni Eareckson Tada also reminds us in When God Weeps that “God uses suffering to refine, perfect, strengthen, and keep us from falling” (p. 232). If I can trust the training process and purpose behind Navy SEAL training, how much more should I trust God in whatever circumstances I face? He loves and cares for us deeply, and He is present with us no matter where we are.

Psalm 139:7 — “I can never get away from your presence.”
Psalm 46:1 — “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”

I desire to honor and glorify God in both success and failure—whether doors are opening or I am in the middle of difficult circumstances. “Sometimes God is glorified when sick Christians get well; other times He is glorified when sick Christians die well.”

I have not arrived and am still in the midst of working through many knowns and unknowns—but God is faithful. We can experience His peace as we lean into Him and continue to entrust our lives to Jesus. In light of eternity, we have a hope that carries us through this temporary life.

Psalm 30:5 — “Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.”

As we have passed through another Easter season, I was reminded that for Jesus, His life was not His own. He was obedient to the Father in His life, and even through His death and suffering, and as believers, we are so thankful He was. As I continue to follow Jesus and His example, I need to remember: My life is not my own.

Jamie Ramer serves as the Assistant Athletic Director with Briercrest College Athletics, which includes supporting the chaplaincy ministry with their teams. He lives with his wife, Lea-Anne, in Caronport, Saskatchewan. He is a credentialed chaplain and currently enjoys opportunities to encourage and support athletes, chaplains, and others as opportunities present themselves with other organizations and ministries.