“The important question is, “What does God think about our suffering and struggles?” Does God have a purpose and plan regarding our pain or does He allow our suffering and struggles because He has little to do in Heaven and desires to see us squirm?
It is interesting to note that God allowed Job to suffer throughout the book of Job, not because he was guilty of sin, but because Satan was trying to tempt Job to sin. Job did not bring his trials on himself just like many of us don’t bring certain areas of suffering upon ourselves.
Often, we feel like our struggle is wrong and something we should avoid. However, whether we voice it or not our struggle comes out.
We are angry with God and don’t want to tell Him about it. Yet that poor grandma who is driving thirty miles an hour in that far left passing lane is getting an earful of what’s what from inside our car. Never mind that we are eating a party-size bag of chips with a side of chocolate chip cookies while cussing at the reality television housewives to make ourselves feel better. Just saying!
We feel as though we should cut off our feelings and simply suck it up, be strong, ignore the pain and be good strong soldiers convincing ourselves that God is pleased with that approach. Yes, deny our feelings while struggling silently.
Suffering and struggles are neither good nor bad….they just are. A person is not more spiritual because they go through less suffering or struggles and they are certainly not less faithful or spiritual if they endure great suffering and struggles. Suffering falls on the most wicked person walking the earth and the godliest person…
“Suffering defines what painful situations we experience in our lives. Struggling defines “how we behave in the face of difficulties or opposition amid our suffering.”…
Regardless, suffering is a part of living in this world and struggling is our reaction to our suffering. So why do some become stronger and grow closer to God while others turn into their pain and shut down?”
(from Why Me? If They Only…By Charlotte Hunt)
Copyright © 2022 by Charlotte D. Hunt All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, or otherwise without written permission from the author except for brief quotations in printed reviews.
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