Love in Suffering

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."  

-Romans 8:28

 We all know the deep scars that suffering leaves on our hearts.  For some, we've been hurt by others, perhaps broken friendships or relationships.  Some of us have lost loved ones whose loss has left an indelible mark in our lives.  Others among us have been deceived, lied to or about, and abused.  We are, after all, humans living in a very broken world. 

The question of why a perfect and loving God can allow pain and suffering has been broached time and time again by Christians and non-Christians alike.   I'm reading through Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life and he explains that sometimes it is through pain and suffering that we truly experience a real relationship with our Lord.  "Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days- when your heart is broken, when you feel abandoned, when you're out of options, when the pain is great- and you turn to God alone.  It is during suffering that we learn to pray for our most authentic, heartfelt, honest-to-God prayers."

I'm not saying that God purposefully puts us through pain simply so we will turn to Him.    Rather, because we are a fallen people in a broken world, we will inevitably face pain and suffering.  Just because we're Christians doesn't mean that our lives will be just peachy all the time.  But because we are Christians, we can find comfort in our one true Father God!  Although God's perfect will is not completed on Earth as it will be in Heaven, we know that He is with us on Earth and will never forsake us, no matter what we're up against!  

"Our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long.  Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever."

-2 Cor. 4:17

"And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering."

-Romans 8:17