Insight about suffering

[erine]

This has been said better before, but it’s something I’ve known intellectually for a long time and only just now clicked in my heart so I wanted to share.

There are certain levels of suffering and injustice (indeed probably most, regardless of the intensity) that don’t have an answer, save for love. It is absolutely a fact that Christ redeemed suffering and by nature of His being Himself, and that we can share in Christ’s sufferings and we do and grow closer to Him in that and it can be used to save souls.

But for me the crucial turning point was realizing that even before I get into the theology of it, the simple fact of Him being love, and His love joining me in my pain, is the only satisfactory answer. The cross is the means to this end, but it is the end itself I’m focusing on.

In short, my meditation was on the parts of me that don’t want to trust Him fully because of past sufferings, and my thinking “what is the answer?” and Love is the answer–and He is love of course.

Then I realized why even though I have discerned the call to marriage, I was too obsessive over it because I thought somehow I needed that romantic love as my “answer” to what happened to me. Jesus Himself is the love I need. Then whenever He sees fit to fulfill my vocation to marriage, it will be so that my spouse and I can love and help carry each others’ crosses together to heaven.

Anyways, I know this has all been said before and isn’t profound but it bears repeating and it finally clicked for me after years of hearing people say “trust God” without telling me how! Now I know how, thanks to His healing and love. Yay!

 

[Holly3278]

I am glad to see that you have gotten this insight. I hope that you have thanked and praised God for giving this to you.

That said, some people think that there is no meaning to suffering. Some people think it is a cruel thing that God puts us through. Well, actually the opposite is true. There is meaning to suffering, especially when it is united with Jesus’ sufferings and offered to God. It can be used to help souls gain salvation among other things. Also, God does not put us through suffering as some sort of cruel thing but its actually a kind of blessing because suffering helps us get to Heaven as well. It does this by making us rely more on God among other things I believe.

 

[AlanFromWichita]

But for me the crucial turning point was realizing that even before I get into the theology of it, the simple fact of Him being love, and His love joining me in my pain, is the only satisfactory answer. The cross is the means to this end, but it is the end itself I’m focusing on.

I like that you have found the meaning of the cross doesn’t rely on a bunch of fancy theology.

1 Cor 1:17
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

I’m happy that you were able to increase your trust level! I also like that you look at the cross as a means to an end. I think a lot of people look at getting to the cross as the end itself.

Alan