A Thought on Suffering

Staring at ceiling fan for 4 days can have an amazing impact on a person, especially if that fan happens to be in a hospital ward. Now, I really didn't stare at the fan literally for 4 days, but I think you can understand the monotony of the hospital environment. However, it did give me ample time to pray, read (when my sight returned to normal) and meditate and what I found, once again, is a God who truly loves mankind.

I have been pondering over the question that I often hear posed by people: "If God loves, why does he let us suffer?", and my answer is: because He loves us. Now, I am sure that there may be question marks going off in some heads right now, but let's think about it for a moment. Firstly, anyone who appreciates heat must have an understanding of what cold is. Take into consideration those who live in the northern United States, Europe, etc., they will understand how precious warmth can be after facing the perils of a winter's day. Therefore, it would be natural to assume that through suffering or the tumults of life that a person can grow in appreciation on the gifts that have been bestowed upon them. A person can understand true joy by knowing what it is to have experienced its opposite, or a person learns to appreciate the gifts that they did have and were taken away and thus realizes how truly blessed their life was when they may have thought otherwise.

SUFFERING. People seem to fear this act, but it should be realized that it is suffering that helps us to understand Jesus. Jesus suffered all for humanity, but how could we possibly understand Our Lord if we never understood, even in part, the immensity of his sacrifice. We may have an idea of his sufferings from the gospels and we can surely meditate upon them and grow, but in suffering we feel the sting. In those moments of suffering, we begin to become as Our Lord was on the Cross bearing every kind of torment, and this a growing experience. This is a time that allows us to shed the world and grow deeper in the mystery that is Christ. We, in essence, can join our suffering to his and give it up to him as an offering, and most of all love Him more.  No matter what our suffering may entail whether death, illness, financial woe, heartbreak, think for moment: Did our Lord face anything less on the path to Calvary? This tends to put things into perspective.

Nevertheless, some even reading this may have hardened hearts. All loss is difficult, and suffering usually involves the loss of something. It is in these moments that we must remember a few things. Firstly, the Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away. Everything upon this earth, everything we have is from God and belongs to Him. It is by this right that He may take back what He desires in His plan for the salvation of our souls. We must face every day with resignation to follow His will and submit all that we have to Him as it His to begin with. Secondly, the Lord will never give us more than we can bear. Any obstacle that is set before us, to include suffering, is something that we can deal with, but we must be ready to trust in Him and surrender to Him if we do not and try to carry the burden alone, we will fall. Therefore, trust in God and do not raise yourself to anger when he takes what is his.

Quite surprisingly, and I am not the only who says this, when one surrenders to God and surrenders their suffering the sting lessens. You will often find that in these situations the greatest suffering was caused by your own hand, your own wants, or your own selfishness. It is when a person finally lets go and surrenders the self to Divine Providence that the burden begins to become light. No longer is the view in the mind "I want", "I desire", "I need"; rather, it becomes "What is your will?", "What do you desire?", "How can I serve thee?"  In doing so, everything will fall into place on its own. A trustful peace overtakes the soul and you accept what happens as coming from God; however, you are never afraid to talk to Him and ask Him for his assistance and guidance. His presence will be ever close to you no matter the tumult you face, so sometimes through suffering, through pain you come to know the infinite mercy and love of God.

God truly loves the world, so much so that He gave His only son to be sacrifice upon the cross for our redemption. In His infinite mercy and love, He gives us many ways to know Him and for some He chooses the path of suffering. Suffering can be burden, but the Lord told us that His yoke is light and indeed it is if we surrender to Him.  The experience of suffering allows us to better understand the nature of Jesus Christ as he endured trials and tribulations upon the earth; it unifies us with Him, and through the experience of suffering we can grow in understanding. Suffering teaches us to surrender to God and shed the world more and more and to move towards that which is divine. Our Loving God will never give us more than we can bear and when it feels unbearable exclaim to Him: "Sweet Jesus, Mercy!", and He will hear your plea. Jesus is merciful and will give us all that we ask if it be to our eternal benefit, but we must also remember that it is not He who often causes us our greatest pains, but our attachment to the world, that which is temporal and disappears with time. Therefore, we should always focus on the eternal and shed what does not lead us toward salvation. In doing so, we will lessen our suffering and come closer to God. Most importantly, we must always remember that God created all; thus, the Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away. Do not become angry when something is taken away, for it was always His. Yet, such things are sometimes necessary so that we shed ourselves and truly become a new person in Christ.