Enlightened Suffering

During one of our previous classes, someone voiced the question, "How is it possible for good people to suffer?" That question has been asked countless times and in as many different ways, but how does it correlate with enlightment? Our class discussion may have been somewhat cliche, but I believe that the answer requires both faith and reason.

First off, God has a master plan and a plan for each individual's life. His ways are always good even if it doesn't seem so to us. God places us in difficult, sometimes almost unbearable, situations not because He doesn't love and care about us; rather, He uses us to accomplish part of His will in both our lives and others. God never leaves us in these times of suffering. By being in these situations and circumstances, we gain experience in that area of suffering. We can use these experiences to help others who are going through the same hardships with the same comfort that we have found from God (2 Cor. 1:2-5).

When we experience suffering, it affects our entire bodies. Every part of our being can feel the pain and hurt. We observe this through our senses. By feeling the hurt, we can't deny that we are indeed the victim of suffering. It is true; it is certain. You seek to know why. However, can you truly ask a question without completely letting go? The short answer is no. You want a satisfying answer. We have all been told that God will use everything for our good, but isn't it hard to believe that when we are in the midst of suffering? Having faith in what seems like an impossible situation seems absurd, but for many that is all we have. God has given us an ability to reason, and we should apply that ability to our decisions and questioning. We must use both faith and reason to find our answer. Sometimes that means just reasoning in our minds that God is in control and having faith that He will bring good to us no matter the situation.

I commented on Whitney B.'s blog.