Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Why we suffer

Let me take a few minutes to share a brief answer to the question of why a loving God would allow so much suffering in the world when he says he loves us and has the power to fix things.

Careless behavior

So much suffering is a direct or indirect result of ill-advised or careless behavior. Examples include:

*The individual that smokes despite the clear warnings that cigarette smoking is by far the leading cause of lung cancer.

*The student that fails to study and loses the opportunity to go to college.

*The man who fails to exercise or watch his diet and ends up with high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease.

*The lazy employee who wonders why he or she is constantly losing their job.

*The person who fails to change their car oil and ends up with a blown engine.

*The couple that fails to save any money and finds themselves with no resources when an emergency hits.

*The woman who marries an alcoholic and ends up in a painful marriage.

The statistics can be frightening when it comes to the devastation caused by alcohol abuse. Some studies show that alcohol was a contributing factor in the majority of traffic fatalities, fatal fires, fatal falls, and violent crimes.

Carnality of others

We live in a world of people who, like us, are at times prone to jealousy, bitterness, selfishness, pride, greed, dishonesty, gossip, and other things so much worse.

We suffer most deeply when those we are closest to do something intentionally that cuts us to the core. It may be a friend that spreads gossip about you, someone at work that did something to make you look bad, or a spouse who has been cheating on you.

Cruelty of Satan

It’s been said that “Misery loves company.” And that is certainly true when it comes to Satan. We are reminded in Ephesians 6 that our struggle is not against other people, but against the devil and his hoard of unseen demons…and they want to suck the joy out of your life.

The devil’s scheme for your life is guaranteed to involve suffering, in an attempt to undermine the joy of your salvation.

Correction of God

Ask any earthly father why he disciplines his child, and nearly all will admit that it is not done because he dislikes the child; and it’s not to hurt the child; and it’s seldom because he is angry with his child.

An earthly father disciplines his child because he loves him or her, and is seeking to correct behavior that, if allowed to continue, will bring pain and suffering to the child he loves.

And so it is with God. There are times when our suffering is because God is attempting to get our attention. As C.S. Lewis put it, “Pain is God’s megaphone. He whispers to us in our pleasure – but He shouts to us in our pain.”

Choices we make

There’s a saying that “we are not a product of our circumstances; we are a product of our choices.”

Consequences of disobedience

God created an earth free from sin and suffering. But in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and suffering came into the world. Referred to as the “curse,” it includes earthquakes and wildfires, famine and drought, hair loss, tooth decay, poison ivy, cancer, heart disease, old age, and death.

I hope this helps you to better understand why at times we suffer.

 

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