Obedience Through Suffering

In my prayer time this morning, Hebrews 5:8 jumped off the page at me. It states that Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered. Jesus was fully God and fully man as well. With that said, in His humanity, He was subjected to suffering just like the rest of humanity so that He could empathize with us as our High Priest and also show his love and commitment to us. Through all of His sufferings, He learned obedience.
When we suffer we tend to want to back out of that situation. When the fire gets white hot, our natural tendency is to jerk our hand away. Take for example, when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." Jesus wanted out if there was any way around it. In the end, His love for the Father, and for us, drove him through the suffering. He was obedient even when it was difficult beyond imagination, even when the suffering raged with its' greatest intensity.
Since Christ endured, and was obedient through the suffering, we now enjoy fellowship with the Living God, and also have eternal life laid up for us. We must endure the hardships of life...there is a Great Reward that awaits us in the end!