Romans 5:1-5
Trinity Sunday
June 15, 2025
My father used the term “character builders” to describe a variety of projects in and around the house. My brothers and I had other names for them.
Character builders always involved physical labor. They usually included a shovel or a broom or a rake or a hoe; but sometimes we would have nothing but our bare hands. Character builders most often happened Saturday morning — early Saturday morning. Cleaning the gutters, weeding the garden, cutting the grass, sweeping the garage were some of the more common character builders. Others included stacking firewood, painting shutters, raking pine needles, moving boxes to the attic, retrieving boxes from the attic.
Through varying amounts of cajoling, persuading, and threatening, my father would get us to do these various tasks, all the while promising us that they would, over time, build our character. I have to admit that as a teenager, I wasn’t too interested in building character. But that didn’t get me out of sweeping the garage!
My father firmly believed that enduring unpleasant things was a valuable experience for his sons. Working at something we didn’t much care for would, in the long run, make us stronger people. That promise didn’t make pruning the bushes any more enjoyable for us; we seriously doubted that cleaning the gutters would have any long-term benefit. One of the most dreaded phrases during my growing-up years was my father saying, “We have some character builders lined up for tomorrow.”
When my father explained the hidden virtues of unappealing work, he never invoked the Apostle Paul, though I’m sure Dad would have found Paul to be a helpful ally, especially in Romans 5:1-5. Here, Paul reflects on character building, the ways in which suffering and perseverance enhance character, and the way character leads to hope. Paul affirms that good things can come from difficult experiences. Tough times, tough tasks can strengthen us and improve us. So Paul is bold to say, “We boast in our sufferings” (Romans 5:3). Not even my father was willing to go that far.
But Paul is. He writes, “Let us boast in suffering because of the positive qualities suffering produces: endurance, character, hope.” Let us take pride in suffering. Is that really possible? Can you do that? Have you done it — boasted in suffering? I doubt it, at least not immediately. Occasions of suffering, whether physical or emotional, are not cherished times, are they?
At least until we get some distance, until the hurt has lessened, until some time has passed and the tears have dried. Then perhaps we can measure what has grown in us because of that suffering. We can see how we’ve matured; we can assess the ground we’ve covered, the progress we’ve made, the strength we’ve gained. But it takes time, often lots of time.
Sometimes, experiencing suffering allows a new way of understanding ourselves: we glimpse our limitations; we become more fully aware of how precious, how fragile life is; we see the blessings of our lives in ways we’ve never seen them before.
Sometimes, experiencing suffering gives us a new way of understanding others: tough times often produce new friendships or deepen old friendships; we learn what friends are for; we gain a sense of how important our relationships are, what a source of strength they can be for us.
Sometimes, experiencing suffering gives us a new way of understanding God. God’s presence becomes more real to us; faith deepens; praise increases.
None of these things is immediately obvious to us when we are in the middle of suffering. But later, after a while, we can get some perspective on just what has happened to us. We can see the changes, the improvements. And, sometimes, somehow, through the grace of God, we can rejoice. We can boast in our sufferings.
It does happen. I’ve seen it. Indeed, among the most wonderful aspects of my work is hearing about and even seeing firsthand the ways people come to measure what suffering has produced in their lives.
I’ve seen cancer survivors who are rich in their faith, knowing God brought them through the harrowing days of chemotherapy. I’ve seen folks with terminal illness face their deaths with a deep peace because of their sense of God’s presence. I’ve seen people who emerge from the pain of divorce with a new perspective of self-worth. I’ve heard parents with young children in the hospital for a very long time talk about the immeasurable ways God has blessed them.
I’ve seen people with various incapacities sustained by a network of friends they never thought they had. I’ve seen people who have suffered tragic and sudden losses and refuse to give up on their faith, even when nothing else makes sense. I’ve seen recovering alcoholics surface from their own struggles with a genuine zeal to serve God and God’s people. I’ve seen folks walk through the valley of uncertainty with their careers and their jobs who gain a new sense of what matters.
All of these things, all of these extraordinary, amazing things, came about through suffering.
It is Trinity Sunday on the liturgical calendar, a day when we should say something about the God who is one God in three persons. Instead of piling on the theoretical, esoteric descriptions of the Trinity, let us simply affirm what counts about this doctrine: In Jesus, suffering has been taken into God’s very being. For in Jesus, God was on the cross, aching, bleeding, crying out in pain. When we say God is there in our suffering, it’s not a hollow phrase. God is there and God has been there, truly. The story of Jesus’ death and his resurrection is the story of God bringing forth new life out of suffering. In that we can rejoice!
Questions for reflection on Romans 5:1-5
- How do you respond to Paul’s observation in Romans 5 that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope? How have you experienced this sequence? Are there additional words you would suggest?
- Have you had an experience of suffering that, in time, you were able to see as producing something positive in your life? How can suffering lead to spiritual growth?
- The doctrine of the Trinity suggests that God is inherently relational. What significance does this aspect of God have for you? What difference does the triune nature of God make for your faith?
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