Is Suffering Supposed to be Fun?
A Personal Letter from Stan Balcom Part 3
Are we supposed to feel real, emotional joy when we suffer like masochists-people who find pleasure in self-inflicted pain?
In 2 Corinthians 12:10, Paul writes: “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
At first glance, that word “pleasure” sounds strange—even troubling. Scripture repeats this idea in several places, telling us to rejoice in trials, in persecutions, and in the hardships, we encounter for Christ. Jesus Himself said that believers would be persecuted and even killed because of Him (Matthew 24:9).
Like most people, I’ve never enjoyed infirmity or persecution. In my seventy years of life, I’ve faced both—before becoming a Christian and after. And when I first read these verses in 2 Corinthians as a new believer, I struggled with them. Was I supposed to feel good about sickness? About abuse? About loss, mistreatment, danger, or pain? I had seen movies and read stories about monks and cultists practicing self-flagellation, deliberately seeking out pain as if that somehow made them holy. This misunderstanding lead me to believe that Christians were sick.
After all, I’ve nearly died from illness more than once. I’ve been injured badly enough to believe I would never recover. I’ve suffered abuse, bullying, and mistreatment from adults who should have known better. Not once did any of that feel joyful—nor did I ever feel like celebrating it. To me, that would have been madness.
So, what does Paul mean by having pleasure in suffering?
The word “pleasure” in 2 Corinthians 12:10 is the Greek word eudokō (εὐδοκῶ). It does not mean “I enjoy this,” nor does it describe a warm, emotional feeling. The word carries the sense of choosing to accept something willingly, to consent to it, to embrace it as worthwhile, or to approve it as meaningful. It is a word of deliberate choice—not emotional delight.
We see the same word in Matthew 3:17 when God says of Jesus, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” God is not saying, “This gives Me a nice feeling,” but rather, “I fully approve of Him.”
In 1 Corinthians 1:21, when Scripture says it “pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached,” it doesn’t mean God felt pleasure but that He chose that method and approved it.
Paul is not telling us to emotionally enjoy pain. He is telling us to accept suffering with a willing heart, knowing it is part of life in a fallen world and that God uses it for good.
And Scripture makes that point repeatedly: it is not the pain itself we rejoice in, but the growth that pain produces.
• Romans 5:3–4 — Tribulation produces perseverance, character, and hope.
• James 1:2–4 — Trials produce patience and a perfecting work in us.
• Romans 8:18 — Present sufferings are nothing compared to the glory to come.
• Hebrews 12:11 — Discipline is painful now, but it yields righteousness.
• Romans 8:28 — All things, including suffering, work together for good.
There are many more.
The message is simple: we do not celebrate suffering itself; we celebrate what God accomplishes through it. Suffering produces maturity, wisdom, spiritual depth, and a stronger faith. We do not feel emotional joy because of pain—we choose to embrace God’s purpose in it, trusting that He is shaping us for His glory.
I have come to accept suffering for what it is, an inevitable part of life on earth. Let me be clear, I do not love it. But instead of fearing it, or hating it, I have realized that suffering has made me who I am today in Jesus; A broken man who is helping as best as I can to comfort others by helping them understand their suffering. And, to anyone who is involved in ministry, that is who we all are and are supposed to be.
“For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps”
1 Peter 2:19-21 (NKJV)
