When Pastor Eduardo was a young man in Cuba everyone had to have a government-issued identification card. A person was required to state on the card whether they were religious or not, and if they were religious what religion they practiced. Eduardo put on the card that he was a Christian. That wasn’t a helpful thing to have on your card in communist-led Cuba.

When a person applied for a job they had to show their government ID. Eduardo applied for jobs and showed his ID that stated he was a Christian. He got turned down for job after job. They didn’t come out and say it was because he was a Christian, but he knew. Finally a farmer gave him a job working in his fields. What Eduardo earned at that job helped him support himself, put himself through school, and eventually he became a pastor. Whenever Eduardo is in the area where that farmer lives he makes a point of visiting him and thanking him for having the courage to hire a Christian.

Christians in Cuba still face some restrictions and government regulations, but when I visited there in 2017 there was freedom to openly talk about your faith in the public square. Worship services were held and no one seemed to be fearful of government disruption. Eduardo spoke about how some complain about government regulations. To him it seems they have forgotten or don’t know how it used to be. The restrictions of the present are a small challenge compared to the hardships of the past.

In Acts 5 we read about some early Christians who were arrested for telling people about Jesus. An angel came during the night and opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. They were told not to run and hide, but instead: “Go, stand in the temple courts … and tell the people the full message of this new life.” They got brought before the authorities again, threatened, flogged and ordered not to speak about Jesus anymore. They had a surprising response to the persecution: “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 5:20, 41-42).

It doesn’t appear they spent much time complaining about their rights being violated. They didn’t whine about the dirty rotten Romans or the unjust Jewish leaders. They looked at it as an honor to suffer for Jesus. They kept their focus on proclaiming the good news of what Christ had done.

Compared to much of the rest of the world and Christians of past generations, it is kind of easy to be a Christian in the U.S. today. That can cause some problems in that it leads some to cry out that they’re being persecuted if one person makes a negative comment or gives a disapproving look. Sometimes when I hear Christians complain I feel like somebody ought to apologize to our brothers and sisters in North Korea and Afghanistan and Somalia.

Persecuted Christians around the world and from the past have much to teach us. Instead of moaning and groaning when we suffer a little bit of injustice, let’s focus on the good things God has done and is doing. He loves us and saves us. He is on the throne and will remain so forever. May the gracious, loving way God treats us matter far more to us than any mistreatment we receive from the world. May our thoughts and our words be overflowing with the good news of Jesus.