A lot of bad things that happen are either directly or indirectly caused by ours or others actions. Just as we don’t always step in to resolve difficult issues our children experience, God doesn’t always step in either. We let our children experience difficult things because it helps them develop essential life skills that can lead to a happier life overall.
Of course this does not apply to such things we humans have had no hand in. As a Christian, we are not to be worried about earthly problems. It is all about what comes after, living a faithful, obedient life so that we can join Jesus in the Kingdom of Heaven. When children suffer and are taken too soon, whilst it is always heartbreaking, for me I find comfort that those children go to Jesus, as He said, the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. Where there is no more suffering and pain for them.
As hard as it is, there is necessity in evil. Without it would we really know what peace, happiness, contentment is? We know what they are because we experience suffering. Take for example, childbirth. For most it is painful yet we know what relief and joy is because it follows that pain when our babies are put into our arms. I know that for some, this isn’t the case because their babies may not have made it, instead they are in the arms of Jesus. I have three babies that never made it to labour and it comforts me greatly that they are with Him.
Whilst suffering causes so much trauma, it also causes other things such as deeper relationships, improves resilience and in some cases a much greater appreciation for life itself.
Sometimes I try to imagine a perfect world where pain and suffering is unknown. I wonder what humanity would be like, without the need to rely on others and unable to experience anything other than average emotions because there is never anything to cause extremes of them. I’m not sure if that’s actually a world I would want to live in.
A lot of people that come to Jesus, come to Him during times of terrible suffering. Corrie Ten Book writes in one of her books her shock at finding her sister praying for the guards in their concentration camp, instead of for the end of suffering for herself and her fellow prisoners.
Suffering and evil has also played a huge role in the development of our medical and scientific advancement, we are finding ways to cure or ease suffering all the time. This, of course, would not be necessary in a world without suffering and evil yet it has taught us another emotion we wouldn’t have need of, in this perfect world. Hope. True hope when it feels all is lost.
Finally, as much as it annoys people without faith, it is impossible for us humans to understand God’s reasoning for anything, unless He chooses us to know. Some would say this is a get out clause, however to have Faith is to believe in something that far surpasses humans. Something that can create everything from nothing. It is only logical to state that we cannot apply human thinking to something that is not human.
There has been times of great suffering in my life where I have not understood why these things had to happen. However sometimes years and years later, God has shown me why they had to happen. In many cases it’s been as simple as having had such experiences enabling me to help others going through the same things. One thing in particular, being able to support my daughter in a way I never would have been able to without having had my own suffering. I went from being confused and sad about it to being grateful it had happened, because I could help one of the most important people in the world to me.