IS THERE GOOD IN SUFFERING?
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Everything that happens, good and bad, is part of God leading you toward the larger good. Pain and suffering are easier to accept if you know good is coming out of it, like childbirth. Once it has meaning, it isn’t suffering. But it’s not always easy to find a meaning in pain, like watching a loved one perish slowly from cancer, or a young child murdered. Many people can’t comprehend a God that allows horrible things to happen. While discussing the bigger meaning of this could fill a book, the simple version is that we need to trust God. If we let Him bring us into suffering, He will use this to bless us and give us opportunities we couldn’t have otherwise or that wouldn’t be possible.
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
It is humbling to be loved by God, even in sin. When you put your troubles or your suffering in God’s hands, you free yourself of unforgiveness. Accept that your suffering has greater meaning, even if you don’t see it. You may have heard the story about a farmer and his wife. The short version of the story is two traveling angels stayed with an old couple who were poor. A lone cow provided milk for them to drink and to sell in the village for a little money for food. That night, the Angel of Death came. One of the traveling angels convinced the Angel of Death, who does not go away empty-handed, to take the cow instead. Although it was a crushing blow to lose the cow, the couple still had each other and found a way to go on.
God shows his strength through us.
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
Many think this means God won’t give us more than we can handle. If you believe in free will, you believe God gives you choices. Are you listening for His voice to determine which path He has laid for you? When you feel God has given you too much, his “way of escape” is to stop relying on ourselves and rely on Him.
As we reflect on Holy Week, we can see the dark and pain of His suffering brought the light of His love and forgiveness. The holy cross is the only shadow cast on us, where He sacrificed Himself for us. Check out “The Shadow of the Cross” painting and this interpretation. And may God’s love see you through your suffering.
He is Risen.
https://southwarklivinggod.wordpress.com/2022/04/01/the-shadow-of-the-cross/
