How to see the suffering of St. Paul and other saints?

I want to understand what to do with the suffering of the apostle Paul, Stefan and the other 12 in the context of your teaching about the overflowing (Eden type) life you describe God wants us to have on this earth.The suffering of the believer is in being a partaker in the fellowship of His sufferings, according to Philippians 3.  Our part of His sufferings is our deliverance and our authority in Him, and having done all to stand, stand therefore, refusing to be moved from our secure place of walking in His love as Him in this world, according to 1John 4:17, Colossians 3:16-17, 1John 2:5-6, and a lot of other passages in both the Old and New Testament that spoke of this coming grace that would be ours. They suffered to get this message out, while obviously still having to walk it out in their own lives.  We're heirs of all that they sowed for in their self sacrifice to "complete what's lacking in the afflictions of Christ" as St. Paul put it in Colossians 1.  Our suffering is in being immoveable in every good word and work -- not in laying down under persecution.  Which is harder on the flesh? Being called every name in the book and merely being silent, or going the extra mile and fasting and praying for your enemies?  Lord Jesus taught allowing what's stolen from you to be accounted as a seed towards His greater blessings in one's life: if they want your coat, let 'em have your shirt as well, etc. Our sufferings are a matter of being just the same as Him, yesterday, today, and forever, because we live on the same Written Word that He lives on yesterday, today, and forever.  1Peter 3 says that if you'd see length of life and good days to guard your tongue 'cause that's what the whole spirit realm is watching out for -- the Lord in that verse, I'm thinking verse 10, and Satan and Hell are watching it in James chapter 3 for permission for the course of nature -- yours and the nature around you -- to be set on fire of Gehenna.  Either our Words are the release of His Spirit into all of the world and upon all flesh for the salvation of Creation -- or, wars and other upheavals arise out of the lusts that wage war against our minds and mouths according to 1Peter 1 and James chapter 1, because we're asking amiss and not keeping it on the straight and narrow according to the Perfect Law of Liberty.