Does Anything Good Really Come From Our Suffering?
The topic of suffering is something that has been on my heart lately. It has been in the form of watching a friend desperately pray for healing for his son, after countless surgeries and millions of dollars spent, with still no answer in sight. Or as is in the news currently, the unfolding story of an airline pilot who made the choice to end his life, along with all of the passengers on his flight. Suffering is all around us, and no one escapes from this reality. But what is the point? Is there a point?
Those of you who know me know that I am just about finished with my two bachelor degrees, in Psychology and Crisis/Trauma counseling. Helping people heal from the suffering that they have endured is a passion of mine. But I think it is necessary that we take a look at our own theology of suffering. What do we believe about it? How does this relate to us? In one of my last classes, I was required to write a paper on that topic. I concluded that there can be blessing found in the suffering, but I understand that this is not how everyone may feel. What follows is just a brief look into that paper, as I have been attempting to work through what I really believe about suffering.
I am not saying I have all the answers, because that is far from the truth. And I'm not saying that I don't still struggle with this topic because I do. Some times I have no words for someone who is walking through trauma, because the truth is words aren't enough to help. What I have learned is that we all need Jesus, and we have to trust that even when we don't understand, that He has a plan, He is good, He can be trusted, and we are loved.
If you would like an opportunity to ease someones suffering, consider donating to my friend Bruces gofundme account. His son Gavin is in need of healing, and is the one I reference above.
What follows is an excerpt from a school paper of mine. All content is my original thoughts, unless otherwise cited.)
Suffering
seems to be a universal truth that has existed from the beginning of time. This
is easily evidenced by the countless examples that can be found in history
books as well as the steady stream of bad news delivered daily by the news
stations. One cannot live long in this world without experiencing some form of
suffering in their own lives, or in that of their loved ones or communities. It
is natural then for everyone to ask at some point, what is the point of
suffering? And for those who believe in God, to question why He allows such
pain. So if it is inevitable that suffering occurs, in what forms is this
experienced and from what place does this suffering come from. Does God allow
it? Or are His power, love and knowledge of our plight here on earth some how
limited (Alcorn, 2010)? These are difficult questions that this paper will take
a look at, while at the same time being aware that there are some questions
that will never be answered on this side of eternity.
Suffering
To
define the word ‘suffering’, all one needs to do is visit a dictionary. As is
read in Webster’s dictionary, suffering is defined as, “pain that is caused by
injury, illness, loss, etc.: physical, mental, or emotional pain” (Webster,
2003). But to simply have head knowledge on the topic is not enough. Heart
knowledge is needed, as without empathy the world will never be changed. The
author of this paper is not attempting to discount the need for education on
this topic, on the contrary. Education is vitally important and the avenues of
training and how people can be helped are expanding every day, and should be
continued to be pursued intensely. But knowing about suffering and having
actually suffered are two different things. Knowledge about suffering will not
comfort the mother who has just lost her child in a horrific way. This is why
counseling those who are suffering cannot be done in a purely clinical way.
People need to know that they cared about and that at some level are understood
in the pain they are experiencing.
What
is the point of suffering?
When
people think of the word suffering, it can mean many different things based on
ones location in the world, socioeconomic state, and perhaps even ones maturity
level. There have been many occasions in which someone has stated that they are
suffering, due to not having coffee in the morning, or perhaps due to a poor
work relationship with their boss. That is not the type of suffering that is
being discussed in this paper. Rather, what is being discussed here is what
does one tell a child who has lost their entire family in a tsunami and is now
orphaned on the street? How does a father make sense of it when his daughter is
ripped from his arms and sold into sex slavery? If one were to look at this
from a purely secular position, the outlook would be quite grim. It is easy to
see why people feel that suffering exists, and yet no good comes from it, nor
is there a purpose for it. If the view is that there is no Creator, no divine
plan and no great love for mankind, then suffering truly is pointless and a
depressing fact of life. If this is one viewpoint that can be held, then what
is the alternative? The answer to that is simply, Christ.
If
God is all-powerful, then why suffering?
This
paper will be written with the understanding that the author holds to and
believes in the fact that God is all-powerful and all loving. He can do
anything that He wills, and He cares with an intense value for His creation
(Zacharias & Vitale, 2014). So if all of this is true, then why does all of
humanity still suffer? One could suggest that the answer is love. While this
may seem like a completely contradictory statement, perhaps upon further
investigation it will become clearer.
Charles Stanley has proposed that there
are three places from which suffering originates. These would be, “because of
God, a result of sin, or because of our adversary the devil (Stanley, 1989).” If
suffering occurs because of ones own sin or the sin of another, or because of
some type of spiritual warfare, it is still painful but easier to understand.
Unfortunately, suffering because evil is a reality is simply an experience that
is faced by every human (Zacharias & Vitale, 2014). To suggest that God
could cause or allow suffering however, is a hard statement to accept, but it
requires that the reader return to their original two beliefs. If it is known that
God is all loving and all-powerful, then it must be believed that the suffering
He allows mankind to experience is for a purpose. In Psalms 103:13-17 it says,
“13
The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to
those who fear him. 14 For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are
only dust. 15 Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we
bloom and die.
16
The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been
here. 17 But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear
him. (New Living Translation, 1996).”
From this
scripture two things are evident. Gods loving and compassionate nature are
again reaffirmed, and how quickly a humans life is over in the view of
eternity. If God did not create mankind to solely exist on earth, then the
conclusion must be reached that what is far more important is where we spend
eternity.
Suffering
reveals a need for Christ
If mankind were able to go through
out life here on earth without ever experiencing any sort of trials, then what
need would they have for Christ? If they were to never to go through heartache,
loss, rejection or pain, then perhaps those people would not think they had a
need for a Savior. But as is seen in the scripture, God loves His creation too
much to allow that to happen. And so He allows trials and suffering to enter
into their world to point the way to Him and their great need for Him. The
eternal destiny of those He loves is important enough to Him that He would
allow them to suffer, so that they would turn to Him. So it is through the
suffering that is experienced in this world, that people find their dependency
for God as He is the reason mankind exists and has purpose. Without Christ, nothing
else matters. Ben Stuart is able to paint a beautiful picture of this in his
book This Changes Everything,
“This is the greatest gift that
trials can give. They teach us to release our insane
grip on that which will not last, and they beckon us
to grip onto the One who endures forever. As we look up, we realize that there
will be an end to this trouble. God has made glorious promises to us and we can
cling to them in times of trouble. All of this pain will end and a glorious
future awaits those who trust in Him. (Stuart, 2013).”
Beauty
from Ashes
Something that many people fail to
recognize that trials or tragedy, which bring suffering in the beginning,
typically have a way of working out for the benefit of that person or others. The
birth of a child, or the renewal of a forest after fires are several instances
in where good can come from pain (MacDonald, 2010). One of the ultimate examples
would be that of the crucifixion of Christ.
It is easy for someone who is in the midst of a trial to question why
God has not done anything to ease the suffering of the world but the truth is
that He has. Mankind rebelled and introduced sin into the world, there by
condemning all to a life filled with suffering.
In order to make a way for mankind to be able to live with Christ in all
of eternity, He sent His son to earth to provide the necessary sacrifice for
us. Jesus felt overwhelming sadness while he was in the last few hours before
His crucifixion. He even told His disciples that His “ soul is crushed with
grief to the point of death (Matthew 26:38, NLT).” He was arrested, mocked and
beaten relentlessly, after which He went to the cross where He hung for six
hours. That is how much He showed His love for the world (Alcorn, 2010). There has been some debate as to why Jesus did
not simply hang on the cross for six seconds or even six minutes but instead He
stayed on the cross for six hours. One can view it as that Jesus is fully able
to empathize with the suffering of mankind because He too experienced suffering
that did not end as quickly as He would have liked it to. And because Jesus is
God, God has also experienced this suffering (Alcorn, 2010). So confident in
the fact that Christ has experienced even more suffering then mankind ever
will, that He paid the highest price possible, those who suffer can be
confident that Christ truly understands. And because of the sacrifice that
Christ made, the very heart of the problem of evil and suffering has been
addressed (Alcorn, 2010). While humanity may never truly understand suffering
and the purposes behind it, one thing can be known for sure. That Jesus
willingly entered into this world of evil and suffering and did not spare
himself. Because He has endured the worst for the sake of His creation, He is
able to be trusted even when it may not make sense (Alcorn, 2010).
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