sufferings

We had Bible Study at youth this week. It was about "Sufferings". It was a hard but deep and meaningful topic. I wished the world could have been there to listen. But anyway, here's what we learned and well, some of my own views too.

The question that was frequently asked was, "Is God the source of our sufferings?"
The answer to that is no, He is not the source of suffering, but He allows it to happen.
Now rises the ever so popular question, "What kind of God would allow such thing?" God has a purpose. We read in John 9:1-7, God allowed a man to be blind so His work could be seen through this man. Those words came from Jesus' lips, but never did he say that God was to blame.

When bad things happen, we often find ourselves say, "Why me? What did I do wrong?". Well, we dont have to sin in order to suffer. It is not because of our sin or our father's sin that causes us to suffer, neither is it any of our ancestors' fault. When we suffer, it's easier to find blame in someone or in God, rather than to see the good that comes with the suffering. Everyone suffers. It could be a test of faith or a blessing in disguise, who knows, but it is up to us to decide what to make of it.

Almost everyone takes a suffering as a bad thing. No one really sees the greater good in it. But when we were asked to describe what happens to a person if he never had to suffer or face any problem in life, if he was "perfect" in every way, each and everyone of us used negative words like unappreciative, complacent, ignorant, ungrateful and it goes along that line, which I believe is all true.

If you never had to suffer, how could you possibly tell if your life is good when you dont even know the difference? You would most probably end up taking for granted everyone and everything around you. When you lose them, this would be your first suffering, and with such naivety, how are you able to handle this?

So, suffering is not necessarily punishment. It should bring hope to surface (Romans 5:3-5). It should drive us closer to God. It should make us stronger, not bring us down. Have you ever thought of it this way; If God didnt think you could pull through, why would He let such a thing happen to you? He knows what you're capable of, He knows your strength. And with that knowledge, He only allows sufferings of which you are strong enough to endure. And you'll see how strong a person you really are when you do :)