small.wonder
So she did.
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- Feb 8, 2013
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[MENTION=24057]draon9[/MENTION] To the OP, my two cents:
God allows suffering because it builds people of strong character, who can love people well. How many times have you met a strikingly honest, compassionate, peaceful, emotionally healthy person and found that they credit their hard life experiences for their growth and maturity? I have experienced and observed this a lot. Even throughout humanity and history (religion aside), we see this theme repeated, because it's true-- enduring trials builds wisdom, experience and compassion for others who suffer.
This guy named Paul (who would know, because he had a crazy life story) puts it like this, in the Bible: "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." -Romans 5:3-5
For anyone reading this, and whatever spiritual beliefs you hold (or don't) you have to admit that the above is a pretty fool proof strategy for a full, meaningful life. Someone once told me that one of the most important relationships we will ever have in life, is our relationship with suffering-- if you allow it to grow you, and see it as producing an eventual good (which for me is not hard, because looking back on my life, it's true), then nothing can harm or bring you down. Not even death, not even a disease, or torture. There are some pretty artificial, legalistic believers in God out there, but I'm being totally honest when I say that the real ones, those who live their lives to love others (because God loves them), are the most counter-culture, bulletproof, content-in-any-situation people I've ever known.
So yeah, that's my take (and personal experience) on why God allows suffering.
God allows suffering because it builds people of strong character, who can love people well. How many times have you met a strikingly honest, compassionate, peaceful, emotionally healthy person and found that they credit their hard life experiences for their growth and maturity? I have experienced and observed this a lot. Even throughout humanity and history (religion aside), we see this theme repeated, because it's true-- enduring trials builds wisdom, experience and compassion for others who suffer.
This guy named Paul (who would know, because he had a crazy life story) puts it like this, in the Bible: "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." -Romans 5:3-5
For anyone reading this, and whatever spiritual beliefs you hold (or don't) you have to admit that the above is a pretty fool proof strategy for a full, meaningful life. Someone once told me that one of the most important relationships we will ever have in life, is our relationship with suffering-- if you allow it to grow you, and see it as producing an eventual good (which for me is not hard, because looking back on my life, it's true), then nothing can harm or bring you down. Not even death, not even a disease, or torture. There are some pretty artificial, legalistic believers in God out there, but I'm being totally honest when I say that the real ones, those who live their lives to love others (because God loves them), are the most counter-culture, bulletproof, content-in-any-situation people I've ever known.
So yeah, that's my take (and personal experience) on why God allows suffering.