As soon as Eve and Adam chose to usurp God’s authority, their eyes were opened, and they sensed the gravity of their betrayal. So they covered themselves with fig leaves and hid from God.
When God called them out of hiding, he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain, you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.”
And to the man, he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life, you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow, will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made, for you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”
God went further; he introduced death to the Garden by killing an animal to make more suitable coverings for Adam and Eve. The practice of blood sacrifice of animals as atonement for sin became an Old Testament mainstay.
Finally, God “banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made.” (Genesis 3)
A very long time later, God sent his Son into the world to replace the system of animal sacrifices. Jesus Christ suffered and died for the sins of humankind – past and future. His willingness to suffer was a sign of his love for us. He told his followers to pick up their crosses and follow him (Matthew 16:24-26). In Mark 10:35-45, James and John ask for positions of authority and prestige next to Jesus in his future Kingdom. Instead, Jesus 1) promised them suffering and 2) that those who continue to follow him would someday eat and drink at his table in the Kingdom “and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:28-30).
Christians generally testify that the Lord teaches us lessons during times of struggle that we would never learn otherwise. These lessons often benefit people around us. That may seem strange, but God has a way of bringing good out of bad. His love for us is relentless.
More recently, I began writing a section on this site titled Prayers for Our Adult Kids. Here's one "For Prayer for Faith in Suffering:"
Jesus, thank you for your ministry to the world, which you did in the shadow of the cross. Thank you for loving us enough to suffer the cross despite feeling forsaken. Father, thank you for demonstrating your power and faithful love by resurrecting Jesus so we can experience salvation and follow Jesus’ Way.
Please fill our kids with your Spirit. Help them see their suffering in the light of your suffering at the cross for their sin. Encourage and empower them to minister to their world, especially when they are fearful or suffering. Inhabit their lives in ways that testify to your faithfulness and power.