How does your Religion deal with Suffering?

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One of the small advantages of being a teacher is when a few years after your students have dawned the robe and cap and gone out into the world… they occasionally come back and tell you about their exploits.

And, at least for me, I take a modicum of pleasure when I find out that something I said/did/taught put them on a path to achieving their dreams.

And then sometimes… sometimes it just goes all horribly wrong.

Submit for your consideration - an Asian student of mine, American-born, religious (one of yours my dear Catholics), philosophical, funny, decent student, and above-all quite humane.

He fit a certain I guess you can say, stereotype - the child of immigrants wanting to take care of his parents when they were older, kept himself focused on his studies through secondary school and college and in doing so skipped out on what people might consider the “normal” chain of events that color the American High school and College experience.

A few years ago, he was passing through the alma mater and stopped by and told me his life “finally turned a corner.” He had just been admitted to Medical School, met a lovely sassy Russian girl in his classes (who also fits a kind of stereotype apparently for her community, but i’m unfamiliar with what those outlines might be), was tutoring some of his classmates like he always did when he was here.

He laid open his future before me - and I couldn’t help but smile.

A few years later, I find out this sincere and studious man’s fortunes have completely up-ended themselves. An incredibly rare genetic illness triggered by stress resulted in this degenerating cycle of decreasing health and academics. He’s had to leave Medical School - much the surprise of those who he helped pass through. He’s drowning in debt (the American price tag for higher education never ceases to astound me). He’s nearly gone blind a couple of times.

And that lovely sassy fast-talking Russian med student apparently made for the exit when the going got tough…

"But Professor its the year of Mercy, perhaps God will forgive me of my sins…

…perhaps I’ll be able to get my life back… otherwise… i’d rather not be here anymore."
That Life is Unfair is a truth we all learn at some particular point in time…although I begin to wonder about the latest batch of teens to twentysomethings…but that is another discussion altogether - probably better for the World News subforum.

For me of course, my old student is simply a victim of circumstance - of things well beyond his control. If he were an arrogant man or hubristic, perhaps some of my ilk would deem this to be “fair” or something akin to “just desserts.” However, he is none of these things at all.

Normally, for those of you who believe the world to be guided somehow - whether by an anthropomorphic deity, a cosmic force or law like Karma, etc. etc. I often see certain strands of logic that try and make sense of what has occurred in situations like this:

1.) He Deserved it. (Punishment for Sin, Karmic payback, Punishment for being int he Wrong Religion etc. etc.)

2.) There is a Higher Purpose behind this (the assumption is that things may get better).

3.) God (however so conceived)'s will is a Mystery (if things happen to get worse instead of better).

Of course, if any of the above is true, I can’t quite understand why any of you pray as he is doing right now for this Year of Mercy (what exactly is that by the way?)

Whether we are talking about Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Christians, etc - most people pray in the hopes of getting i guess whatever they believe governs the universe to pour out some mercy on a particular situation they are suffering from.

But, what if what is being prayed for stands in direct opposition to the Will of _____?

It seems trivial if what is being asked for seems ludicrous - like “I want to win a million dollars.”

But, at least from my perspective, it seems absolutely cruel if what is being asked for is something akin to “God, please let me keep my vision.”
So how does your religion deal with suffering? Especially if said suffering seems more random or unfair or unjust to our human sensibilities?

And how does your religion deal with circumstances wherein those we may feel deserve a bit of help receive none at all. And those who are reviled, some how slip the bonds of this earth without a single care and paying no price.

And if these…incongruities are to be made right in the end (as in the End whether we speak of the Christian Apocalypse, the Jewish Olam-ha-ba, the Islamic Yawm-ad-Din, the Hindu end of Kali Yuga, etc etc. etc) - how?

Or is that just part of your respective faiths? That somehow, someway, it is made just at…well… some particular point in time?
 
How does your lack of religion help with charitable orgnisations?
 
There is one other explanation that I offer, my personal theory: Sin Pollution

Under my theory of sin pollution, every sin that every person commits creates a sort of pollution. Just as air pollution, water pollution, and other environmental pollutions can harm those who are exposed, even if they did not, personally, contribute to the pollution, so can sin pollution bring suffering without direct correlation between the sins and the suffering.

We can help by trying to “clean the pollution” by our acts of reparation (offering up our suffering, for example) or acts of mercy (corporal or spiritual).
 
I try to remember this portion of the Bible, that in my suffering God can use me to glorify himself in someway. Just a personal opinion.

I really appreciate your post. I feel we he have all struggled with this issue. My sister is atheist and she cannot believe God would allow such suffering if he does exist.

NAB John Chapter 9

The Man Born Blind.
1
  • As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth* His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
    Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
 
TheAtheist said:
So how does your religion deal with suffering? Especially if said suffering seems more random or unfair or unjust to our human sensibilities?
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Frequently hard times come about due to people’s wrong doings (ours or another’s), but that is not the case for all hard times. Some times the hardness is not because we have done something wrong, but because God is giving us the opportunity to grow-- grow more in perspective, grow more in faith, grow more in wisdom, etc.

For example, your former pupil whom is going blind: perhaps by loosing his physical sight, God plans on giving him a way to grow in spiritual Sight and wisdom. Perhaps the young man is being given the opportunity to learn to rely more on God. There are many ways in which God could be guiding this man into great things, and great things are all God wants for us.
 
TheAtheist said:
So how does your religion deal with suffering? Especially if said suffering seems more random or unfair or unjust to our human sensibilities?

And how does your religion deal with circumstances wherein those we may feel deserve a bit of help receive none at all. And those who are reviled, some how slip the bonds of this earth without a single care and paying no price.

And if these…incongruities are to be made right in the end (as in the End whether we speak of the Christian Apocalypse, the Jewish Olam-ha-ba, the Islamic Yawm-ad-Din, the Hindu end of Kali Yuga, etc etc. etc) - how?

Or is that just part of your respective faiths? That somehow, someway, it is made just at…well… some particular point in time?
Click to expand...
The world we live in is a broken one. We are not of this world but of Heaven. The suffering we undergo here has nothing to do with our sins (as we know from the book of Job). The suffering we undergo here is brought on by Satan to test our will as Children of God. When bad things happen (like this former student) we have three choices: take the easy route to try to get back into balance (IE sin in order to make things right), take it out on God and fall away from Him, or lastly: do what Christ did and take our suffering and make it into something good.

As Catholics we call this redemptive suffering: IE we are to take whatever suffering we have and offer it up for the betterment of other members of the Christian faith either here or in Purgatory(a different topic)

So, for instance, your friend could wallow in misery about his circumstance or he could “offer it up” to help others. From a secular point of view, it won’t improve his eye sight but it will give his suffering a purpose that can, at a minimum, improve his outlook, and at a maximum help others.

The purpose of the year of mercy dates back to the book of Leviticus. We use this year of mercy to make nice and forgive those we have past issues with, which frees us from the bondage of spite.
 
Alright. I see your struggle in this. And I sort of see you being sincere about trying to figure it out. I mean you know these deep problems happen in life. And like you said, “life isn’t fair.”

Well let me lay this out plainly. This world isn’t a playground. It’s more like boot camp. The pay-off comes. But usually later.

Let’s explain this in a circle if we can.

So let’s say, for example, that every good deed here and there gets a thumbs up from God. And every negative gets a frown. Now let’s say also that every time God smiles He gives an immediate pay out. And every time we make Him mad we get slammed to the pavement.

This is what we as people assume fair means. This is what we’d expect from each other. This is how we’d balance our own scales.

But God isn’t us. He’s got a huge game plan in the works. He knows things behind things. He knows the end goal. And He also knows when to drop a favor and when to hold fast.

See. If God never let some get stressed to the very edge? There’d be no real saints here. There’d be no way to become one. Because we’d all have our daily wage to balance off our ‘good deeds’ and so no further payment would be needed. And no merit would get applied for being brave in the face of tough struggles.

So take your student, for instance. What might impress more in this situation: that he’d be seeing signs of blindness, lose his girl, lose his career, but still hold fast to hope and faith? Is still strong, steadfast, and humble? Not resentful and ready to turn to a life of crime?

Or, would it be more impressive for him to give up and stomp and scream his way through what he’s got left to live through?

Or would it be more impressive still to see him winning everything he has after showing just an edge of faith and true grit?

What I’m saying is this. When God wants us to give some kind of witness to Him on this earth sometimes he makes a poster for us to see clearly. Sometimes when we don’t do enough to show how good, good is we get handed an example of our own to follow. An example like your student maybe. I mean sometimes even a guy like you gets to see it in a personal way like this.

But for that example to have real meaning? It has to hurt. It has to wind us a little even just in the watching of it. We have to be made to stop in our tracks and pay attention.

Because there’s nothing so tragic to us than loss of purpose. Loss of potential. Loss of fairness.

So when we’re given that along with a guy who’s still strong in his faith? It really puts a lot of us on notice. It teaches us all a thing or two about real true grit. Not just the balanced play out of fairy tales. But the real deal. True and true.

So when we climb on top of that we have a different perspective possible. Because now we can see that 1 person suffering and yet holding fast can inspire thousands of others directly or indirectly.

And not only that. There’s also the fact that his worst and lowest ebb possible is probably not where this story fully ends. I mean lots of people with strong illness have been suddenly motivated to look for a cure. Or raise money for one. Or make it more of an issue.

So good for many can come out of bad for one. It can come out and change history even.

And that’s how saints are made. That’s how converts get harvested. Because we see a guy like that and it moves us. It makes us think in ways we’d never have thought before. And it makes us compare our own track-record against his.

And I’m pretty sure God knows that. I’m damn near positive this is something He’s figured out a long time ago.

And also? Since life is nothing more than a passing fancy with all toys left behind in the end? Isn’t it better to suffer through a few disappointments for the Real and Great Reward promised? Than to be artificially consoled with a temporary one?

I mean what would impress you more? A child who was good in class only so long as you gave him his daily ration of candy at the end? Or one who really listened and paid honest attention? Even when he was failing? Even when his parents were getting divorced? Even when he had no real world reason to hear you out?

And yet he still did. He still tried hard. He still struggled through it every way possible. He fought to be the best he could be in spite of all the things dragging him down. Even to the point where you knew he’d cry real tears each night while studying for your tests?

Wouldn’t you be more tempted to give that kid a leg up with his Final Mark than the first one? The one who was only focused on what he could get from you now? The one who ransomed his good deeds against an expected and immediate payment? Who would otherwise turn wolf if he didn’t get it?

I mean which of those two would you really trust to make society better in the long-run?

Peace.

-Trident
 
MaryT777 said:
I try to remember this portion of the Bible, that in my suffering God can use me to glorify himself in someway. Just a personal opinion.

I really appreciate your post. I feel we he have all struggled with this issue. My sister is atheist and she cannot believe God would allow such suffering if he does exist.

NAB John Chapter 9

The Man Born Blind.
1
  • As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth* His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
    Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
Click to expand...
Exactly. It is an Old Testament construct that suffering is a punishment for sin.
Things happen. Sometimes good comes out of bad things.
Sometimes, it doesn’t appear so.
Those who suffer with grace and dignity are an example in trusting God, no matter what.
Kind of like when in marriage we promise to love in sickness and in health, richer, poorer, etc. God does not abandon us when these things happen. But we are all so quick to think that God has abandoned us and we turn our backs on him when we most need him.

Encourage your young friend to continue believing and worshiping God as he was raised to do. We don’t understand many things. It doesn’t mean we just tell walk away.
It’s hard, but eventually we do find relief.
 
pianistclare said:
Exactly. It is an Old Testament construct that suffering is a punishment for sin.
Things happen. Sometimes good comes out of bad things.
Sometimes, it doesn’t appear so.
Those who suffer with grace and dignity are an example in trusting God, no matter what.
Kind of like when in marriage we promise to love in sickness and in health, richer, poorer, etc. God does not abandon us when these things happen. But we are all so quick to think that God has abandoned us and we turn our backs on hi when we most need him.

Encourage your young friend to continue believing and worshiping God as he was raised to do. We don’t understand many things. It doesn’t mean we just tell walk away.
It’s hard, but eventually we do find relief.
Click to expand...
Well said as usual, my friend.

Mary.
 
I am by no means an expert and speak with no authority on behalf of Catholicism, but as a Catholic, this is my approach to suffering…

The story of the blind man in John chapter 9 and also the book of Job are great reading for understanding suffering.

The blind man was blind not because of his sin, or the sins of his parents, but that the work of God may be made manifest in him. His blindness had an effect not just on himself, but on all those who saw him cured. It also also gave every person he met while blind a chance to act with charity and love towards him.

Job’s children were killed not because of their wrong doing, or because of Job’s wrong doing, but it was a suffering allowed by God that not only provided proof of Job’s devotion to God, but also acted as a teaching moment not only for Job’s friends, but for all the Jewish and Christian people (or any people) who would ever read the story after.

Often times people get trapped by an inward focus on their suffering. We get so wrapped up in the “why is this happening to me/us/them?” or the “how could you let this happen to me/us/them?” part of the equation, that we completely miss the “how is this thing happening to me/us/them going to effect others?” part.

If instead, we take our sufferings and try to see how we can use them to continue to glorify God and accept his will, we might then be able to see that our sufferings not only are a “test” or “trial” of ourselves, but also an event that effects others outside ourselves.

Maybe the purpose of someone being born without a leg is not to teach them a lesson, but that they may inspire confidence in someone who looses their leg 20 years later and meets them. Or maybe it is to soften the heart of someone else who needs to learn compassion for others.

Maybe someone loses their vision not as a punishment to themselves or to make them a better person, but rather to make someone close to them a better person in some way.

We can never know how far ours or others sufferings may reach, nor how it may effect ourselves or others in the long run. The only thing we can control is our approach and attitude towards sufferings.

I find more often than not, more fruit will come from focusing not on the “why me?” or “why them?” question, but on the “how can I do your will through this?” question.
 
Christianity recognizes suffering more than any other religion. It’s at the center of our theology and we call it the problem of sin. The answer to suffering is one man, and his name is Jesus Christ.
 
TheAtheist said:
One of the small advantages of being a teacher is when a few years after your students have dawned the robe and cap and gone out into the world… they occasionally come back and tell you about their exploits.

And, at least for me, I take a modicum of pleasure when I find out that something I said/did/taught put them on a path to achieving their dreams.

And then sometimes… sometimes it just goes all horribly wrong.

Submit for your consideration - an Asian student of mine, American-born, religious (one of yours my dear Catholics), philosophical, funny, decent student, and above-all quite humane.

He fit a certain I guess you can say, stereotype - the child of immigrants wanting to take care of his parents when they were older, kept himself focused on his studies through secondary school and college and in doing so skipped out on what people might consider the “normal” chain of events that color the American High school and College experience.

A few years ago, he was passing through the alma mater and stopped by and told me his life “finally turned a corner.” He had just been admitted to Medical School, met a lovely sassy Russian girl in his classes (who also fits a kind of stereotype apparently for her community, but i’m unfamiliar with what those outlines might be), was tutoring some of his classmates like he always did when he was here.

He laid open his future before me - and I couldn’t help but smile.

A few years later, I find out this sincere and studious man’s fortunes have completely up-ended themselves. An incredibly rare genetic illness triggered by stress resulted in this degenerating cycle of decreasing health and academics. He’s had to leave Medical School - much the surprise of those who he helped pass through. He’s drowning in debt (the American price tag for higher education never ceases to astound me). He’s nearly gone blind a couple of times.

And that lovely sassy fast-talking Russian med student apparently made for the exit when the going got tough…

"But Professor its the year of Mercy, perhaps God will forgive me of my sins…

…perhaps I’ll be able to get my life back… otherwise… i’d rather not be here anymore."
That Life is Unfair is a truth we all learn at some particular point in time…although I begin to wonder about the latest batch of teens to twentysomethings…but that is another discussion altogether - probably better for the World News subforum.

For me of course, my old student is simply a victim of circumstance - of things well beyond his control. If he were an arrogant man or hubristic, perhaps some of my ilk would deem this to be “fair” or something akin to “just desserts.” However, he is none of these things at all.

Normally, for those of you who believe the world to be guided somehow - whether by an anthropomorphic deity, a cosmic force or law like Karma, etc. etc. I often see certain strands of logic that try and make sense of what has occurred in situations like this:

1.) He Deserved it. (Punishment for Sin, Karmic payback, Punishment for being int he Wrong Religion etc. etc.)

2.) There is a Higher Purpose behind this (the assumption is that things may get better).

3.) God (however so conceived)'s will is a Mystery (if things happen to get worse instead of better).

Of course, if any of the above is true, I can’t quite understand why any of you pray as he is doing right now for this Year of Mercy (what exactly is that by the way?)

Whether we are talking about Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Christians, etc - most people pray in the hopes of getting i guess whatever they believe governs the universe to pour out some mercy on a particular situation they are suffering from.

But, what if what is being prayed for stands in direct opposition to the Will of _____?

It seems trivial if what is being asked for seems ludicrous - like “I want to win a million dollars.”

But, at least from my perspective, it seems absolutely cruel if what is being asked for is something akin to “God, please let me keep my vision.”
So how does your religion deal with suffering? Especially if said suffering seems more random or unfair or unjust to our human sensibilities?

And how does your religion deal with circumstances wherein those we may feel deserve a bit of help receive none at all. And those who are reviled, some how slip the bonds of this earth without a single care and paying no price.

And if these…incongruities are to be made right in the end (as in the End whether we speak of the Christian Apocalypse, the Jewish Olam-ha-ba, the Islamic Yawm-ad-Din, the Hindu end of Kali Yuga, etc etc. etc) - how?

Or is that just part of your respective faiths? That somehow, someway, it is made just at…well… some particular point in time?
Click to expand...
Hm. Somebody finally got around to the problem of pain. Kudos to you. 👍

No, for real. Just to be clear, I’m not being sarcastic. I mean, I’m sure it’s been brought up before, but I haven’t really noticed it. (Maybe it’s because I’m lazy.)

Anyway, if you have time, read the book of Job especially, as that’s the best biblical answer, and read by Peter KreeftThree Philosophies of Life (actually, read this first, as it’s a bit shorter, and don’t buy it right off the Ignatius Press website, as Amazon or AbeBooks or whatever is probably cheaper).
 
God doesn’t promise us a happy life. On the contrary he promises suffering or denies us the things we want. God isn’t immune to our cries because he chiefly showed us what it means to suffer in the the person of Jesus Christ, the incarnation of God in the flesh.

I’ve long wanted to be married, I have serious doubts that’s ever going to happen despite how long I’ve prayed to God for it.This young man you’re mentioning has serious problems facing him, more so than I. But why deny his repentance? Why say he doesn’t deserve what he has received? Plenty might look at my life and say I don’t deserve the king of depression I’ve gone through yet I know how utterly unworthy I am for anything good in my life.

What this young man you’ve told us about will accomplish or not accomplish I don’t know, but I do know we are all held captive to sin no matter how good we appear on the outside to others. All things however will be made right in the resurrection and till then God makes known his love and glory through weakness, not necessarily in the health of the body.
 
This life is a stepping stone to the next. My Lord provides everything I need to be able to surrender to His will. If I fall into serious sin and sincerely repent, He takes me back. He loves me unconditionally.

The suffering I cannot change brings wisdom to me, and conforms me to Jesus Christ my Savior, when I surrender to it and do not blame God.

I cannot think of anything my good Lord has done for me that is not enough. Just thinking and pondering the Sacred Passion of the Incarnate Second Person of the Blessed Trinity brings me to a better realization of what He has done for me.

The more I receive from Him, the deeper peace I have, in spite of sufferings.
 
Also, this coming Sunday’s readings have a great theme about people’s tendencies to worry more about their physical need rather than their spiritual need.

As Christians, we are called to die to ourselves to serve the will of the Lord. We are called to live not for this life, but our eternal lives. We are to be in the world but not of the world.

Luke 9:57-62

57 As they were going along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”
59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 But he said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”
62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Our focus must not be on this world and its trials and sufferings, but to “proclaim the kingdom of God”
 
When I pray, I pray that people will be protected in danger.

I don’t know how it will work out, but at least I care.

As for my own ailments, God put me on a world where there are viruses, poisons and damage to bodies.

A huge number of people cared about me.

It’s not a theological answer. It’s an existential one. What’s wrong with that?
 
Christians expect suffering to occur in this world. When we look to the very first chapter of Genesis we see that 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” At the end of this chapter it says that: 31 “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good….” God originally made man and woman to live in Eden and not to experience hardships and suffering. But then in chapter 3 the serpent/evil one arrives and alters the story. He deceives Adam and Eve into consuming the forbidden fruit. This changes everything and in Genesis 3:16-19 Adam and Eve receive curses for themselves and all future generations. In verse 23 they are banished from Eden. Now mankind must toil and sweat to survive and live alongside the evil one who is lurking at every turn.

So in our time on earth we are going to experience suffering and hardship. Sometimes this is a direct result of a sinful choice made by us or those around us (such as adultery → ruined marriage, broken home - etc. etc.). Rarely suffering can come because of a direct result of God’s punishment (like when God caused David and Bathsheba’s baby to die in 2 Samuel 12). Most often suffering happens not because of anyone’s specific fault, but just as a side effect of living in a broken world filled with good and evil.

As Christians living in a world filled with struggles and heartaches – mountains and valleys, we are blessed to be walking with the Holy Spirit. God has never made a promise that we would be free from suffering – “sign up for Christianity and experience blessings and sunshine all of your days” is nowhere in the Biblical teaching. But God does give us the presence of the Holy Spirit to comfort us and give us the ‘peace that passes all understanding’ (Philippians 4:7). Too often we look for happiness which often includes seeking, wealth, material possessions, status, relationships, etc. These things usually don’t provide complete fulfillment and disappoint people in the end. Instead we should be looking to experience joy like Paul had when he wrote the letter to the Philippians while imprisoned and facing the death penalty. Throughout the whole letter he is rejoicing and seeking only the will of God for himself and for his friends at Philippi despite his dire situation.

We can pray to God and ask him for our needs and desires. God always answers prayers, but He doesn’t always answer them how we would like Him to. When Jesus teaches his followers to pray he teaches them to say “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10). If we pray for God to please allow us to be accepted to XYZ University, and get a job at Such-and-Such Corporation and to meet Prince(ss) Charming in the next 2 weeks, we may become disappointed when things don’t work out as WE plan. If we pray to God to help us attain these things we want OR to reveal His will for our lives to us, we may find better results. If we pray and ask God to fill us with the Holy Spirit and to reveal through circumstances and through the “still small voice” the direction that He wills for us to go, we may realize that we can rejoice, like Paul, in even the most difficult circumstances because we are experiencing the true joy of a relationship with Christ.

As Christians we have hope in Christ. We have hope in eternity. We know that in the end, the evil one will not prevail, and the sufferings of life are temporary. “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” (Romans 16:20)
 
TheAtheist said:
So how does your religion deal with suffering? Especially if said suffering seems more random or unfair or unjust to our human sensibilities?

And how does your religion deal with circumstances wherein those we may feel deserve a bit of help receive none at all. And those who are reviled, some how slip the bonds of this earth without a single care and paying no price.

And if these…incongruities are to be made right in the end (as in the End whether we speak of the Christian Apocalypse, the Jewish Olam-ha-ba, the Islamic Yawm-ad-Din, the Hindu end of Kali Yuga, etc etc. etc) - how?

Or is that just part of your respective faiths? That somehow, someway, it is made just at…well… some particular point in time?
Click to expand...
Let’s not kid ourselves. If any Christian believes that he/she will be exempted from the earthly suffering, he/she is going to get a very big disappointment. Jesus said so categorically, if that is their objective in life, he cannot offer them anything. He does not have a nest and his followers will be hated and persecuted and they would not be the first nor going to be the last.

So you see, you are mistaken. Your mind is not the Lord’s mind and your thought is not His thought. And Christians, if they are deep (really?) in the faith, would know this from the beginning.

We all go through suffering at some times in our lives. There are people who may be undeservedly more - disease, starvation, war, earthquake, tsunami, abused, untimely loss of loved ones, fall in fortune, broken this and broken that.

It is not that they will get better though sometimes they do and we thank God for them, but it’s how we deal with them. Christians should do well here simply because their Savior has it even worse on the cross. And when he hanged in there, he truly felt how we feel but much more, it is the one thing that he did for us, that we would not have it worse in the next life.

So you see, death, suffering, bankruptcy, brokenness, well what can I say, they are not the end of the story.

Saints just could not wait to get it over with on earth. They simply kept on because there was so much to do, otherwise their place is with the Lord’s.
 
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