Everything difficult indicates something more than our theory of life yet embraces.
-George MadDonald
For a very long time, I’ve tried to understand suffering.
I know I am not alone. God is questioned all the time.
The problem is, we cannot reconcile “God is good” or “God loves us” with the pain and suffering of humanity. So we either reject God entirely or we maintain a belief in him but steer clear of getting too close.
In trying to reconcile a good God and human suffering, I finally came to this conclusion: I believe God is who he says he is and even though there are some things I do not understand, there is a lot I do understand. Since I believe in God, then it will suffice that he knows more than I do.
That doesn’t mean we don’t feel a whole gamut of emotions when we are suffering.
It means we can stop the endless questioning, leaving us unsettled.
If I know one thing about God, it is that he doesn’t want us to feel unsettled. He is with us when we are suffering, giving us comfort and peace in ways we may not be readily aware of.
How often have you really thought about God, the creator of the universe and all things within, having a vantage point far surpassing our way of thinking?
It’s kind of like thinking about all of us on earth, being suspended in darkness. I don’t think we have words in our human language to describe the magnificent and staggering view God has over all creation, big and small.
We don’t have the language for understanding the why of suffering, either. We just know how it feels.
God sees the beginning and he sees the end.
We do not.
We know that for every action there is a positive and equal reaction.
One day, there will be a redemption of all things. This means a glorious and magnificent judgement on all the pain and suffering throughout mankind. God will make things new and right.
But for now, we live in the shadow of what we do not clearly see; what we do not understand.
Will you be okay with that?
when it hurts 