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John Donne, preacher and poet of England, wrote in his famous poem:
No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less.
Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
It seems foolish to deny our need for others. Even more, people deny any need of God, yet have no solutions to the huge human problem of pain and suffering, issues only God can alleviate for us.
Suffering is intended to drive us into the arms of God. Think of all the situations you have faced in life where you couldn’t make it right by yourself. You might have been willing to give your very life to solve a painful, destructive situation, yet you simply could not fix it. It is then that we look around for others who can help us—and some turn to God in our times of physical, mental/emotional, spiritual, or social suffering.
Others who have suffered are a precious resource. What a wonderful thing it is to hear someone say, “I’ve experienced a similar thing and here’s how I found a way through it!” We naturally gravitate to those who have found their way through the troubles and trials of life in which we find ourselves. God often works in that very way to heal hearts and bodies, and help people thrive, not just survive
Suffering shows the Difference between Necessities and Luxuries
We have differing views about needs
My wife’s brother used to answer the question, “How’s it going?” with the statement, “God is supplying our needs and a few of our greeds.” Too often, I confuse what I “need” with what I “want.” Suffering and hardship can clear up that picture quickly.
Circumstances change our ideas of needs versus greeds
In the Bible, Job was a wealthy man with a large family of children; he lived like one of the wise, respected men of the community—But when God permitted the devil to bring intense suffering on Job, the wise man’s priorities changed dramatically. His circumstances changed—and suddenly he would have been happy with just a little relief from his terrible pain.
A teenage boy I read about was a very good athlete, the star of his high school basketball team. He constantly badgered his father for an expensive pair of shoes that he was sure would make him even better on the basketball court. His friends knew about the ongoing debate and kept pushing him to get the new shoes, though the boy’s father felt they were not a wise use of money.
Then one day, while everyone was away, the family’s house burned to the ground. All they had to wear were the clothes on their backs.
The next day at school, a teammate, who hadn’t heard about the fire yet, asked, “So, is your old man gonna get those great shoes for you or not?” The star player looked embarrassed, but managed to mumble, “I’d be glad for just about any shoes right now!” It’s amazing how hardship can reshape our priorities.
Next time: Suffering helps us respond to the Gospel