No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13
Temptations can come through suffering. When we suffer, we are tempted to rely on ourselves instead of the Holy Spirit. We are tempted to forget Bible promises. We are tempted to commit mental sins of bitterness, anger, envy, etc. But God has provided a way of escape from these temptations.
When we suffer, there is an opportunity for spiritual growth. God will provide you with the strength that is necessary to deal with the situation. While suffering is never “fun”, this type of suffering is bearable, as we can see from 1 Corinthians 10:13.
This verse is often misconstrued, especially in the special needs community. People will tell you, “God won’t give you anything you can’t handle.” This is absolutely not true. You are not to handle these situations- that’s a fast track to more distress and suffering. God does not allow you more than you have the ability to handle through His power.
If you think of the scriptures as spiritual food, you can think of suffering as spiritual exercise. A chance to apply what you have learned. And when you take in your food, and you exercise, you grow and become stronger.
Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.- Hebrews 5:8
Here we see that Jesus, too, experienced sufferings. And his sufferings taught him obedience. If Jesus was perfect, why would he need to be taught obedience? Not because he was not obedient in the first place, but because his sufferings gave him the chance to test out, or display, his reliance on the Holy Spirit. Because he passed this obedience test, we know that we have access to the very same power that He did, and we also have the ability to learn from these things, as well as the privilege to display the power of God.
And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”- 2 Corinthians 12:9
Weakness is not failure or sin, but helplessness. When we suffer, we face a situation we cannot resolve with human resources. And each time we practice reliance on God, our admitted helplessness makes us stronger and better able to face the next difficult situation. This brings both the ability for us to experience joy and peace through trials, as well as glorification to God, who carries us through.