Suffering

I think most of us struggle in life at one point or another.. Whether you are rich or poor.. Christian or non-Christian.. I think some people have the idea that once you become a Christian, life will suddenly become a bed of roses. No more sickness, no more broken relationships, no more financial hardship.. Well, I guess it is evident that that is not the case.. Although Christians do have reason to rejoice and be encouraged even in times of suffering.

Why is there suffering? I think the simple straight forward answer is Man. Man is the cause of suffering, since the time of Adam and Eve. Because Man is imperfect and always falls into sin.. So long as imperfect Man exists, I think there will always be suffering..

The more "cheem" answer would be God.. Again, there are beliefs that God is this happy, go-lucky fella who loves everyone and everything.. And there are people who think that if God is perfect and good, there cannot be suffering. And there are thoughts that suffering is not from God, only the good stuff are from God.. Well, I am not a theologian. But God is in control of everything in the world, so suffering is also from God, and He does allow suffering to take place. It would be too simplistic a view to say that all the good things come from God, and all the bad stuff are not within His control.

Yes, God is loving and good. But he is perfect and holy. He cannot pretend that Man is good. He cannot overlook the wrongs that Man has done. So a perfect and loving God can still punish Man for his sins and allow suffering to occur just like how a good father will not spare his insolent son the rod.. Having said that, not all suffering is a punishment from God..

And of course sometimes God just allows suffering to take place. And we will not know why. Cos we are not God and have no business to question His ways.

I guess this topic sprang into mind some time back when many people around me were facing problems and difficulties.. Broken relationships, study/work stress, bereavements, illnesses, or sometimes just pure "sianness" and lack of direction in life.. I think it is hard to say which problem is worse than which, cos at that particular point when that person is going through something even as mundane as work stress, it can be particularly bad and distressing to him..

I don't really know how to encourage those who are suffering right now.. I guess for myself, it is a lot easier to grapple with these issues because I believe that God is in control.. When I was a non-Christian, I had to depend a lot on myself to deal with failures and disappointments.. I had to turn my focus to another thing and try to forget about the problem.. I could pour out my troubles to a friend who is willing to listen.. I could just pull through with sheer grit.. I could just allow time to pass and mend the wounds..

Having come to know Jesus, I feel that a lot of things can be put in perspective.. My sis is going through quite a bit at the moment, struggling with some major decisions, so I thought of some of the following:
1. Suffering is from God. As above. I guess it can be an encouragement for us who believe in Jesus Christ. Cos God who is perfect, is in control so there really isn't anything to worry about. And nothing much you can do about it anyway. I just have to trust that He being perfect, knows what He is doing.

2. Suffering has a purpose. God put suffering into Christians' lives for a purpose. One of my favourite verses in the bible Romans 5:3-4 "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance; character; and character, hope." It is only through trials that our faith in God is tested. So that if we persevere in our faith and trust in Christ, and persevere in holding on to what we believe and continue to obey Him, God will mould our character and make us mature as Christians.

3. Suffering on the cross. I don't really know how to put this. But sometimes, we just need to turn to the cross and understand how Christ's death on the cross has redeemed us and made us right with God. And this really makes what we are going through insignificant. I mean God has already saved us. If we truly are Christians. that should be our greatest comfort. So what if we fail a certain posting? So what if our business failed? Of course sometimes, this is easier said than done..

4. Suffering in hope. For those who are suffering almost everyday, facing persecution, starving, facing disasters, the bible promises the second coming of Jesus when everything will be renewed and God's people will be in God's place, a new heaven and a new earth under God's perfect rule. This is a certain hope. It is a hope in the sense that it has not arrived. But this hope is certain because God has promised it. On that day, there will be no more suffering for God's people. For those that are suffering and there seems no respite or end in sight, they can be assured of this hope..

So Christians do suffer.. We do have problems.. We do continue to fall into sin.. But we have a greater someone above who knows us and loves us.. We might not know every time why some things occur but we know that they occur according to His plans and for our own good. I don't think it is self-deceiving or self-motivating. But if we know our God, we can be assured of these things. And every time we get entrapped in a problem, we just keep going back to God in prayer and ask Him to help us and to guide us and comfort us. For me, that keeps me going in life and waking up every morning with renewed vigour.