No, God does not command us to be masochists, ready to have pain and sorrow poured down on our heads. Like Dad's stories of walking to school in ten feet of snow and -40 degree weather, up hill both ways, with no shoes. "And we liked it!" he claimed. His lessons tell us that no matter what your situation which brings you down, his was worse. So buck up, keep moving, and quit complaining.
Although the title of this post indicates that there could possibly be joy from punishment, it's not the thrust of the passage.
What Peter presents to us is joy through punishment. There is a difference. For followers of Jesus, it is possible to be wonderfully happy when the world is dumping on us.
One source of pain in suffering is to suffer for the wrong cause. We know that Christians create all kinds of suffering. We gossip, we separate ourselves from the needs of others, and we do stuff that is wrong. We happily do such things. However, we are unprepared to endure the consequences. When we learn that someone responds defensively to our gossip, we feel the pain of separation which we did not feel when we were misspeaking. The pain feels unjust and unbearable. It is not until someone separates from us after we have separated from them, that we feel pain.
Prisoners who are justly imprisoned complain. They put their pain on the system which they violated. When the system does not allow their normal life, they blame the system for causing their pain. Unjust people cannot endure their just suffering.
Though the offenders confess and turn from their wicked ways, they move into understanding, though without physical freedom. That understanding turns to gratitude for the opportunity to pay for their offenses. But they know they deserve what they are receiving. Oh, that each of us may quickly acknowledge our offenses so that even through pain for what we deserve, we may be filled with glorious gratitude.
The other brand of suffering is suffering or punishment for doing right and good.
