What does it mean to share in Christ's sufferings? (Phil 3)

So what does it mean to share in Christ's sufferings? 

First, it means recognizing that he already shares in yours. He knows your every sigh, your every moan, your every ache, your every heartbreak. When Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me," he is invoking the partnership that a yoke entails. A yoke of oxen is a pair. He walks beside you, sharing your load as you share his. Though we are called to take up our cross and follow Jesus, this does not only mean following behind him, say, marching up Calvary; it also means matching your step to his as you walk your earthly way, sharing the cross-shaped bar of the common yoke.

Second, it means waiting. To be patient means to be "long-suffering." It means, taking a deep breath and refraining from precipitous action. In a time when people are growing disgusted and weary of so many forms of injustice, the Christian must be ever vigilant, but never a vigilante. "Wait upon the Lord" is a refrain that runs through the Psalter (esp. Psa 37) and the broader canon. Those who wait upon him will inherit the earth, they will mount up on wings like eagles.

Third, to share in Christ's sufferings means com-passion, to "suffer with" those who are suffering. This means listening to them, offering whatever divine counsel is given you at the time, praying for, but also advocating for those in your sphere, maybe even being a "patient advocate" — patient in a double sense — and standing with them if in no other way than with the ministry of presence. You are not alone, because Christ shares your sufferings. Your presence with the suffering can comfort them with the very same solidarity, not only your own presence, but that of Christ.

How do you understand what it means to share in Christ's sufferings? However you understand it, you can take comfort in the fact that our bodies and souls are not our own, but they belong to Him who purchased them with his own blood, his own suffering and death. He will not throw away or cast out anyone for whom he paid such a price of redemptive, merciful, tender ownership.