In the film Braveheart, William Wallace gives a famous and stirring speech to try to convince Scottish soldiers to fight for their freedom. Many are tempted to abandon the fight, but he motivates them by telling them to think of their future selves and what dying words they will have for their children. Do they want to be the kind of men who say, “We ran away and thus we lived”? Or do we want to be the kind of men who say, “We risked everything, faced mortal danger, but fought for our freedom”? The implication is clear. Avoiding suffering is safe and yet not admirable. Choosing to face suffering is admirable and yet dangerous. But at the end of the day, we all would rather be people who faced suffering courageously instead of running away. It is normal and understandable to want to avoid suffering. Every time we take medicine or turn on air conditioning we are taking actions to avoid suffering and discomfort. But while it is normal to seek to avoid suffering, Christians are called to prioritize their calling over their desire to avoid suffering. This is why Christians over the centuries have been willing to go to prison, lose their property, and suffer physical violence in order to stay true to their faith. When Peter speaks to Christians about suffering, his message is that the Christian priority is not to avoid suffering, but to suffer well.