3 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
There is a difference between suffering by yourself and suffering as part of a group. Soldiers know all about suffering hardship. We get sent to places that no one should be living in the first place, places so hot almost all animals were smart enough to move away from centuries ago. But soldiers get to go to these places to work and suffer. I had a commander who lost the respect of his soldiers within days of arriving is one of these hot places. He secured for himself a place to live that had air conditioning! At that moment his soldiers knew he didn’t care about us. The other commanders continued to stay with their soldiers until their soldier’s air conditioned quarters had been secured. Then they moved into their own quarters. By staying with their men, these commanders knew how to win their hearts. By separating himself, my commander lost his ability to command. Jesus suffered and knows what it is like to stay in the middle of suffering until the end. He didn’t jump ship the first chance he had. He stayed through until the job was complete. A good commander understands this principle, staying with the suffering until the job is complete. When soldiers see their commander enduring the same hardships, the commander is respected and the soldiers are willing to follow. It is the joint nature of enduring hardship that makes a group of soldiers into a cohesive unit. I have seen units that don’t really have suffering as part of their normal military jobs go though some training that required suffering together, and when they have made it through, they are closer and more united in their work. When we draw together as followers of Jesus during our times of suffering, we come out on the other side stronger, more able to endure the next inevitable hardship.
The Arnold Journey 