Hope in Suffering

i was reading Romans 5:1-11 last weekend and the message was about hope in suffering. i picked this passage out of a devotional book and thought the subject was pertinent to how i was feeling at the time (suffering from all the work i had to get done in one weekend) =(

anyway, as always, i quickly read over the passage, not retaining much of anything, and then went and did the discussion questions. one of the discussion questions asked "describe the process that suffering initiates in verses 3-5. and i don't know why i didn't see it before but these three verses were really powerful. They read:

"and not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us."

there's so much that i can write about this devotional but the big picture (for me) was that I know there's hope in suffering, but will my [future] patients know that? and not just my patients but all the people who are suffering out there who don't know Jesus. and how can help them come to understand this?

and i feel completely selfish after i think about all of the people suffering out there. my problems seem so insignificant compared to some of the situations i encounter in the hospital (fyi, i have already started patient cares, so real nursing duties, if you didn't already know) and i know i talk about nursing school all the time, but it's become a huge part of life. it's what i think about everyday, what i am constantly practicing, it's shaping who i am. and more importantly, i am constantly thinking of ways to incorporate christianity into nursing.

but it's a struggle, mostly because i am afraid to suffer - like real suffering, not just anxiety attacks here and there - and therefore i have little hope. i know, it's sad, but please pray for suffering, hope and my role in God's Kingdom. thanks