This chapter in Hughes’ book is full of wisdom and encouraging words. I couldn’t possibly distill it enough and still do it justice in one post. Here is her own summary of this wonderful chapter:

Suffering is associated with the development of perseverance. As we understand better what Scripture teaches about the spiritual benefits of perseverance, we can look to the future with hope instead of fear. There are three specific reasons for our suffering:

• Suffering is God’s means of perfecting us.
• Suffering is a means of spreading the Gospel.
• In persevering through suffering we see God.

(Disciplines of a Godly Woman, pg. 104)

The suffering I’ve experienced in my short life amounts to ridicule from my mother after I told her I wanted to be a Christian. She acted like she hated me for a very long time. Some days, the very sight of me made her angry. From about the time I turned 14 to the time I started birthing her grandchildren, she didn’t want to have much to do with me. She doesn’t act that way now, but while I lived under her roof, she did her best to shame me for being a Christian. The most painful times were when she gloated over my repeated failures in fighting sin in my life. I must say, though, that most of the suffering in my life has come as a result of my own foolishness and sin. So, I don’t really feel qualified to write about this perseverance through suffering.

I will say that after reading this chapter, I see the importance of knowing God. I don’t mean just a casual knowing Him, or knowing about Him. I am referring to intimate knowledge of God and His Word. The tragic stories Hughes shares in this chapter could have ended much differently had the individuals not known God WELL prior to entering their time of great suffering. Their lives were solid and built on the foundation of faith in Jesus.

I was reminded of a couple of things while reading this particular chapter. I attended a ladies conference many years ago at which the speaker encouraged us to decide NOW what our response will be when tragedy strikes our lives. Her husband had committed suicide. After this, she really struggled to take care of herself and her children. She wanted to quit. She called it her “X event.” Whatever the “x event” is, decide today how you will respond–with faith, with praise, with peace, with the understanding that God is in control no matter what. Sounds like good advice. Reading this chapter also made me think about a woman I know who lost her husband while they were still young. She told me that she was so thankful for the time she had spent in Bible study the years prior to her husband’s sudden death. If she had not know the Word like she did, then she believes she would have crumbled after his death. But she knew the Lord, and she was able to persevere. He is glorified when His people persevere.

I am not suffering. This particular leg of my race does not include a trial. Nowadays, I have to commit to the discipline of perseverance through the mundane, repetitive tasks of motherhood. Hughes doesn’t really mention this, but it still requires perseverance. Many women quit their families in favor of other, more glamorous endeavors. I want to be faithful to the Lord by being faithful to my family, persevering through the same mountains of laundry and dishes, persevering in prayer for my kids, persevering in repeating the same things over and over until they get it, persevering in seeking to savor Christ in all of my (seemingly) insignificant life. So, from now until my “x event”, I’ll keep building my house on the Rock.

*Update: Persevering through daily tasks will be high on my “needs work” list.