Being like Christ

So I was reading through my old journals this weeks, and thought this was cool:

Colossians 1:24 says, "Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's affliction, for the sake of his body, which is the church." I think God showed me something new from this verse about suffering. I have been told a thousand times, from pastors, friends, and the Bible itself, to rejoice in sufferings because they bring us closer to Christ and make us more like him by bringing perseverance, character, hope, etc. All of that is true, but I think there is another side to it.

Paul says he fills up in his flesh that which is lacking... in other words, the sufferings of Christ. Basically, we are called to be like Christ. Well, Christ suffered. So in order to be like him, we must also suffer. I don't think it's just that our sufferings bring us things that make us like Christ such as faith and hope (which they also do), but suffering itself makes us like Christ. No wonder the apostles rejoiced because "they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." (Acts 5:41) What an honor it is to follow in Christ's footsteps and suffer because he did.