About Sufferings

If my God is a loving God, where is all these love in the midst of the most terrible of happenings? The big question is an angry shoutout: why does a loving God allow terrible things to take place?




That juvenile who got abused by his stepfather since the age of 2; the teenage girls who got forced into prostitution; the hero who went into the 911 scene and got sacrificed in an attempt to save others; the entire flight of missing passengers; the beheaded victim in the Middle East; how about those infants caught in those accidents; an unexpected fall that change our lives; a newborn with an unlikely chance to live beyond 10 days; a stillborn; a lesbian/gay whom no one really tried to understand; a natural disaster- volcanic eruption, tsunami, earthquake, hurricane, storm. 

It weighed heavily upon my heart just compiling that list, and the bad news is... there are much much more. Remember the Indian girl who got gang raped last year? How about the lady who got rescued out of illegal captivity from her own dad? And the North Koreans...




For someone who claims to love God and boldly declares that his God is love, none of these make any sense. See, if God is love, and God is all able, and all things happen for the good of those who love Him, and all things happen in accordance to His plan, and nothing falls beyond His design for earth's destiny, that almost only bring us to one possible conclusion- I've fallen out of God's love. He doesn't love me enough, He doesn't care about me, and we form our conclusion that this is just an unfair game of life, and we are the bitter underdogs who have no hope of emerging from the mess. 




Sad. Very sad. Super sad... Indeed... 



For such a conclusion to be drawn, the basis of which must have come from the way we've gone about preaching our gospel. In my early days as a follower, I was repeatedly told to embrace my sufferings. God knows better, just embrace. These are all biblically sound, and people like to quote "count it all joy", but they leave out the benefits. It reminds me of the holocaust, imagine living day to day without any hope of ever leaving that hell. I ever read somewhere that many of those who survived had practiced a religion of some sort- the crux to dealing with suffering is hope.

When we talk about sufferings, even of the worst kinds, they have to be discussed in the context of hope. Or at least as far as my God is concerned, that is what sets us apart- having hope even when there seems to be none. A dead-end problem embitters its bearer, but a purpose and an available solution empowers him to push through to the end. 

So this kinda sets the stage for the discussion. Suffering must be understood in the context of hope! By the way, hope by itself is a well-discussed topic already, so the only thing I want to point out here is the connection. "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Hope requires trusting out of a whole-hearted conviction that He knows better, such that the genuine "good" does not get masked by a perceived one. 






So why?

I cannot provide what the bible does not say, and I think it's a huge injustice to quote verses and say this must be the reason why you are suffering. Genuine consolation and comfort differ significantly from the typical "holier than thou" portrayal. Remember Job's friends? 

When bad things happen, we mourn and grieve, we give ourselves space for recovery. But dealing with a grieving person is uncomfortable, and we consciously attempt to pull them out. Ever had a terrible experience, and your friend came about and told you "it's alright" and you are screaming inside your head, "it's not!!!!" ? I think it is perhaps time to acknowledge that we don't know better, and instead of trying to pull from the front, try walking beside the person. It takes a deep sense of humility to say that hey, I'm just as clueless as you, but you know what, I'm here to stay with you and walk with you, to the end. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, when I am weak then I am strong. Let God be the answer. Our role here on earth, in the midst of fellow humans, is to love. Don't try to be the savior who has to solve every problem, but contribute in sure ways by showing love.






If any reader has been expecting some sort of an answer about why terrible things happen, I'm sorry to disappoint you. I probably won't give you what you want to hear. The underlying reason must be sins, and us. God cannot take the blame for what we have brought upon ourselves, He has already taken our place on the cross. Putting the blame upon God is akin to saying Jesus you deserve to die on that cross because You caused all these sufferings. 

NO WAY!!!! It's too much for my mind to comprehend: but basic understanding of statistics should reveal a small glimpse of how complicated the whole system is: imagine birthing a plan that has to take into considerations billions of individual free minds (different possibilities), and then the interaction of one mind with the other, and then the interaction between one situation with the next...  




Finally can I appeal for us to give this a thought. I don't know why, but I know God. Live in a way that blossoms our walk with God, and grow in our intimacy with Him. Be certain of His character, and be certain of His intention. When situation calls for us to choose, continue to trust. Our faith in God is no faith when it is only practice within our zone of comfort. Be sure that God never changes, look back and REMEMBER. For my beloved friends who have been wounded by hurts or by poor management of the hurts, allow me to grieve with you. I am praying for you that you will receive grace and love that extends beyond your deepest wounds. My Father loves you so much!