In 1 Peter 2:21 we read, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” This verse is laden with language that should cause all true disciples of Jesus to sit up and take notice. It speaks of calling, Christ’s example, and once more we find the explicit expectation that we would “follow in His steps.” At the center of the verse is an ugly, uncomfortable word, “suffered.” To what have we been called? Suffering. What did Jesus model for us? Suffering. What does this mean for us as sincere, from-the-heart imitators of Jesus? An embrace of suffering. But what does that mean in the practical day-to-day reality of our lives. Are we to be righteous gluttons for punishment? Christian parents often wish for their children to grow up to become fully committed followers of Jesus, but how many wish that their child would grow up to suffer? Is this verse saying that they are one and the same? Come be part of the conversation as we try to make sense of a difficult verse. After all, no one who wrestles with God’s word loses.