Did the Apostle Paul have his head in the clouds? Throughout Paul's letters, he exhorts Christians to "rejoice in the Lord always" and "to give thanks in everything." Was he oblivious to the real sufferings of life? As we remember Paul's life, we know that knew deeply the suffering that can happen in this life. And yet he still wrote, "rejoice in our afflictions." He could write this with confidence because he knew that God had good purposes for his people through suffering.