Why Suffering?

[WP-Coder id="1"]

We don’t like pain and hardship, but it can have a godly purpose

Perhaps you have heard the story of a stick that complained bitterly about its treatment at the hands of its craftsman owner. He kept whittling away at it, filling it with holes, filing it down and sanding it. “It hurts me when you do that,” the wood cried out in pain.

But the creator just kept on shaping the piece, drilling a long hole its entire length, paying no attention to the loud, unhappy complaints he heard.

Eventually, the man had shaped the wood into a flute, which he played with great skill, making lovely music out of what had been mere firewood.

The craftsman explained, “Without these holes and this cutting and shaping, you wouldn’t have any complaints, but you would only be a stick. What I’m doing now might make you think I’m cruel. But instead, I’m turning you into a work of art that brings joy to others. Only by cutting and shaping you painfully, can I bring out your greatest value.”

And so it is with us. God’s handiwork sometimes hurts. We suffer or we endure hardship, and we complain that God doesn’t care about us. Or maybe we point to suffering as a sign that God doesn’t even exist. In fact, He is turning us into a work of art, and when He is finished, we’re able to make beautiful music and bless the hearts of others.

Suffering may seem indiscriminate to us, but God has a plan for it and wants our willing cooperation to use hardship for the good of His people and Kingdom.

Oppressed and suffering people seem to get a good share of Jesus’ attention in the Sermon on the Mount. In particular, the Beatitudes show this bias God has toward those who suffer . . . the poor in spirit, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for their faith (Matthew 5:3–10). His bias opens a window on suffering.

It’s true, much of the world’s suffering is caused by sin and bad decisions, both ours and others’. Blaming God for most of the suffering humankind experiences is simply an attempt to evade responsibility. Whatever the circumstances, God intends suffering for good.

Next time: There are at least five reasons God would give special attention to those who experience personal suffering