The Purpose Of Suffering
For many people, suffering seems to have no meaning. It is an arbitrary experience that we must endure and there is no point or purpose to it. If you are one of those who believes suffering has no purpose, these articles can help you find meaning and hope in your journey through life. If this describes you, don't give up. Seek to understand suffering and find your purpose.
We all experience suffering from time to time, but some suffer more than others. Some suffer more than they should and others suffer less than they should. For some people, the quality of their life will be determined by how much they have suffered or how much good life gives them. This article is about suffering and the purpose of suffering. It is not about what causes suffering or what use it has for anyone; it's about how we can find some sense in our experience of pain and sorrow in life when we question its meaning and purpose for us.
In the Bible, Jesus told his disciples: "You will say to me, 'Then why does he still suffer? Why does he still cry out?'" As you read the Bible for yourself and learn about the life of Jesus, you will learn how much Jesus suffered. What led to all of that suffering? Why did he suffer so much? What purpose could it serve?
When I was a teenager, my favorite book was called The Purpose Of Suffering by Jack Deere. It is a very inspirational book that we read as part of our high school personal counseling class. It was written by Jack's wife, Maxine.
Why did Jack suffer so much? Why did the little town of Okalahoma City in the state of Oklahoma experience such devastating acts of terrorism? What was the purpose it served? I'm sure some people doubted that it had any meaning at all.
In his book, Jack offered an explanation that made a lot of sense to me as a thirteen-year-old kid. He says "suffering is given to us for three reasons:
We need not only a Savior but a Healer for our sufferings. If you suffer and don't understand why, or if you suffer and don't know what to do about it, then God will give you help through your suffering. That's why Jesus suffered so much. The Bible tells us that "we were healed because of his wounds" (Isaiah 53:5). Many times in our lives, we will be blessed because of the difficulties we experience. "Out of the hard Trials people go through, great things are built," said Joe Crockett.
Jack Deere says, "there is a purpose for our suffering and that purpose is to bring glory to God. Suffering was given to us for the glory of God."
We need to experience suffering if we are to know what suffering is. Suffering is when we face the reality of life without the security blanket of "this too will pass." Suffering is when we have to face our problems and difficulties, deal with them and learn from them.
Suffering is also a way of putting things into perspective. We do not want our perspective on life to be so narrow that it ignores the meaning and purpose of everything that happens to us, good or bad.
At a much older age, I finally learned just how true this statement is: "Without suffering there can be no one who could understand it. Without suffering, there can be no one who could show it."
Suffering is a part of life. Life does not come without suffering and suffering does not necessarily mean we are doing something wrong. Sometimes we just need to endure some difficult things and recognize that the meaning and purpose of suffering will reveal itself in the end.
There are three reasons suffering is given to us. We need a Savior, a Healer and a Purpose of Suffering.
God designed our bodies to suffer by afflictions: sickness, pain, disappointment, loss of friendships or loved ones; and one of his purposes is "to bring us to glory." Jesus said this was why He suffered so much on the cross: "All we like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6).
The Bible says "the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed" (Romans 8:18). That's why it's so important to seek the meaning and purpose of suffering. With a correct understanding of God, we can learn how to endure and find hope in our suffering for the sake of Christ.
Whatever your understanding may be about the purpose of suffering, be encouraged that there is a deep spiritual reason for much of our pain and sorrow. The Bible teaches us that those who suffer will receive greater glory than those who lead lives untouched by affliction. Christ's disciples asked him to tell them where they could find eternal life, and he said, "This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3).
With a correct understanding of God and his path for our lives on earth, we can endure suffering with hope for the future. That is why it's so important to seek the meaning and purpose of suffering.
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com -
Suffering has a purpose in our lives--to reveal God's glory in our lives; learn about the purpose of suffering when you read The Purpose Of Suffering .
When the world around us is crumbled and broken, and we are in pain, we need to seek Jesus and our purpose in suffering.
Jesus said: "Take heart, I have overcome the world." When walking in faith, God keeps His promises. We can find peace knowing that Jesus was victorious over sin (1 John 4:4).
When we have Jesus in our lives, we are able to get through any suffering with our heads held high. We can learn how to endure suffering for His glory.
When Jesus suffered on the cross for you and me, he wasn't just telling us that we should be brave or that it's ok to suffer through tough times.
Conclusion
God gives us suffering for a purpose, and one of the purposes is to reveal his glory and his victory in our lives.
When we are living for ourselves, when we are looking at suffering with fear and sorrow, and when we are listening to voices that tell us to hide from suffering, it's easy to think that it is not God who causes our pain.
When Jesus died on the cross on behalf of all of those who believe in Him (John 3:16), he once again proved to the world that God does not cause evil. Even though many people thought Jesus was crazy for doing what He did, He knew what He was doing was right; and that is why he called it "good news.
Tags:
The Purpose Of Suffering