A Reason For Suffering

Why do good people suffer?
Why does anyone suffer?

One of the biggest debates I have heard is why does suffering exist and if there was a God, why would he allow suffering?

My answer may not satisfy some, but it satisfies me so here goes.

I consider myself a "good" person. By "good" I mean that I try to do good. I try to do the right thing. I try to love others and to be kind. Does that mean I always am? No. Just because I try to do good does that mean nothing bad is never going to happen to me? No. On the contrary, some of the kindest people in the world have undergone years and years of suffering.

My suffering began as a child. I have known physical and emotional abuse. I have been taunted by my peers. I have been rejected by those I love. I have been financially unstable to the point where I ate potatoes, cheese and tortillas everyday because it was cheap and filling. Many of you who have followed my blog from the beginning know of my sufferings as a child. I don't complain about them. I actually praise them because they have made me stronger. My sufferings have shaped my character and made me the person I am today. Suffering teaches never to take anyone for granted because I know what it is like to be without my loved ones.

My mother has suffered tremendously in her life.  From failed marriages to alcoholism to losing her children. When I look at her past I don't even know how she made it. But she is stronger than ever now. She has become one of the strongest people I know and one of the kindest. She cares about the sufferings of others because she has been there.

My husband has also endured many sufferings as well. He lost his mother to cancer and helped raise his younger brother and sister. All these people who have suffered greatly have come out on the other end with a compassionate heart.

It is not God who causes our suffering. He has given all mankind free will and with free will comes suffering because we are affected by the actions of those around us. BUT God is able to use our sufferings to mold us into a more compassionate and loving people if we let him. If we suffer and blame God we have learned nothing and are still immature in our faith. Instead of fighting the sufferings, we can learn to embrace them. I have never had nothing good come out of suffering. I can see the good in all of it. That's why I never regret my sufferings. Without them I might have become a spoiled heartless woman who only cares for herself. Suffering humbles the soul.

When I was fifteen years old I went through some of my toughest times. I was in foster care, found my mother after six years, lost contact with my father and brother, moved to a new town and I had no friends. These days I wept often. Here are some words that got me through some of my toughest times.

Romans 5:3-5 

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

1 Peter 5:10

"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."

James 1:2-4

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Revelation 21:4 

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Psalm 34:19 

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all"

Maybe you are suffering right now and don't know why. Maybe you are going through a difficult time. Maybe you are angry with God concerning your present situation. Remember he gave you free choice and free will to live your life. You are not alone in your struggle and good will come out of it. If you don't see the good now, it'll come later. Be strong. Never give up. Be passionate. Love others. Follow your heart. Do good as much as you can regardless of the evil that is done to you.