I don't know why God allows suffering. I don't know why God is allowing my suffering. I would like to be writing a book about my faith, or posting more on my Blog. I have good intentions, and yet I am bogged down with pain and I have no motivation to do anything for God or anyone else.
Pastor Jon, from Hacienda Heights Baptist, had another great article recently (just quoted him last month, so I am so grateful he has given me the rights to copy and paste his articles) that was about suffering. Here is what he had to say:
Why does God allow suffering? This is supposed to be one of those stumper questions that Christians can’t answer and make atheists winners of all arguments. In actuality, it is not a tough question at all. Suffering was a result of sin coming in to the world and although we may not have started it, we have all participated in it. Everyone of us at one point or another has been the cause of someone else’s suffering and guilty of bringing suffering into the world.
God could have let us continue in our suffering since we brought it upon ourselves, but instead He did a curious thing. He came down to earth, took on flesh and became a human being so that he could experience suffering like you and I do. There was no reason why He needed to do this, but He chose to do this so that we would know how much He loved us. He was willing to experience all the pain of life even though he did not in any way contribute to the cause. Instead He brought to us the solution for our suffering. Through his suffering and death on the cross, He was able to end the penalty for sin and suffering and offer up to each of us the escape out of it.
In this God has shown us that suffering is not the horrible thing that everyone says it is. There are in fact real benefits from suffering when you allow it to have a purpose. First, it reminds us that this world is not our home. Jesus suffered and died, but rose to new life. I have noticed that suffering only increases with age. What I once thought was suffering when I was younger, seems minor compared to what I face now and from what I can see of those older than me, it only gets worse from here. If you only suffer more and more and then you die, what’s the reason for sticking around? As Christians, we have an answer to that question. We are not here for ourselves, but to help others find Jesus. When God determines that our usefulness is completed, He takes us home to an eternity without pain, suffering or grieving (Rev. 21:4). A number of decades dealing with pain and then a bazillion years with no pain. That is not so bad.
Secondly, we find out that in Jesus, our suffering is actually a benefit to us. The Bible explains in James 1:2-4 that it is the trials themselves that help us to grow in our faith and maturity. It is hard to learn important life lessons when things are going well because we think we are doing everything right. Remember when Charlie Sheen said “Winning!” and wasn’t willing to change anything he was doing? It was not too long before he was clearly losing everything and then he was willing to start making adjustments in his lifestyle. The truth was that he was sick and in need of help long before then, he just needed to face some suffering before he could understand that.
Thirdly, in Jesus our suffering becomes a benefit to others. After we learn our valuable life lessons, we are better able to help others in their suffering. We comfort those who suffer with the comfort we received in our suffering (2 Cor. 1:3-7). This cycle of comfort started when Jesus took on flesh and accepted His suffering so that He could better comfort us in our suffering and in turn we are able to comfort others.
Why does God allow suffering? So that I can grow stronger and help others in their trouble until I get to rest from suffering forever in heaven. There you have it.
Thank you to Pastor Jon for his thoughts on this subject. Even though I have had little rest from pain that has gone on for over a year, I totally get what he is saying, and I agree. Suffering has been the foundation of an amazing ministry for me. There have been highs and lows, but the highs stand out as the most beautiful when I am looking back on a low and see the incredible hand of God. Suffering has allowed me to share in ways I would have never been able to share before I had cancer. I am thankful for the opportunity to be God's witness that His love and peace can be yours in the darkest of times.
Thank you for the prayers you send up on my account. Continue to pray for the pain, and chemo treatments. I have an MRI coming up. I look to Jesus to be my comfort and guide as the doctors and I discuss treatment options.
Blessings,
Sandy
