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Is Suffering Good?
Is Suffering Good?
A “Christianity without tears” (Live Not By Lies, p. 185) is a false religion. I’m beginning to realize that when God pronounced everything “good” in creation, that we imagine suffering did not exist prior to sin. Death did not exist. Disease did not exist. But does that mean no suffering, no pain, of any kind?
Our bodies were designed to feel pain as a warning to greater pain. The same nerves that give pleasure feel pain. To be human means to be able to feel pain. When Eve sinned, God said, “I will intensify your labor pains” (Genesis 3:16). God did not say, “I will now cause you to endure labor pains”. But that is how I used to read it.
Even before that, in Genesis 1, God told man and woman, “subdue” (1:28) creation, which means, force, bring into bondage. I’m beginning to think life outside of Eden was more violent than the peace inside. They were also told to “rule” (different Hebrew word than 3:16), which again has force and dominance. If this sounds strange, I understand; but consider creation itself is God forcing his will into dividing and separating.
Without suffering there is no love, mercy, self-sacrifice, all which can exist without sin. In fact, suffering is fighting against sin itself to stay good in God’s sight. Suffering is greater than sin, and growing against temptation.
What’s the point of this short devotional? Don’t run away from suffering. Buddhism teaches suffering must be escaped from, while Christianity and Judaism teaches suffering can be learned from. Learn that suffering has value, because it is also part of God’s original creation of good.
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