Why does suffering exist? And why would God allow it to damage our lives on Earth? Sometimes life can seem so hard. We struggle, we cry, we shake our heads in defeat. Life is tough, for some more than others. But what is the reason for our pain when dreadful things happen? Can any answer be drawn from our hopelessness?
I believe we as human beings suffer because of our sin. The story of our sin goes all the way back to the beginning of mankind. God created Adam and Eve out of the creativity and love in His heart. Man was made by God. God took the place of man's instructor, leader, and father. Even in the beginning of time He planned for us to love Him, and out of that love, obey Him.
God gave Adam and Eve tasks, as well as lay out some rules. One of those rules was not to eat a certain fruit from a certain tree. That was it. That was the only thing they weren't supposed to do. God even told them that if they were to eat the fruit, they would die.
We all know what happened next. They ate the fruit. Tempted by Satan or not, they still chose to break the rule. God's rule. And because they broke the rule, they needed to receive their punishment. Just like how any good parent would use punishment to show their child they did wrong. So, God banished them from the paradise He made, the place without any pain, hunger, or hurt. It was mankind's burden to bear the pain that came with living away from God. This pain included child birth, ageing, hunger, hurt, labor, sickness and death.
Why would God give them, and all descendants to come, such a horrible punishment? To be honest, I don't know. I can only imagine that, as difficult as our suffering is, it may not be the worst punishment God could come up with. When you think about it, the Bible tells us that sin is punishable by spending eternity in Hell. But instead of sending us straight to hell, God gives each of us plenty of years to just admit that you've done wrong and love God. Seems like God is pretty patient and forgiving.
Also, the Bible clearly tells us that the Lord will never give us more than we can take. That means that whatever enormous pain you have been dealing with, whether mentally, physically or emotionally, cannot take you over. God asks us to give Him our troubles and pain, because He wants to help make you new again.
In no way does God abandon us in our suffering. Even though our sin denies us access to God, God reaches out to us still. Even today He speaks and moves in love and compassion. We may be overwhelmed with our past, present or future, but God wants to bring us hope and peace.
So, why would God let us suffer, if He was so loving and gracious? I believe it is because He is just and follows through with His word, even if it hurts His people. He told Adam and Eve the consequences of their actions and the Lord had to enforce those consequences when they messed up. Despite God's justice, He did find a way for us to be free from true suffering (Hell, opposed to the suffering in this lifetime), and that was through Jesus Christ.
God wants this suffering to end so He can be reunited with His children. But its up to us, individually, to make the conscious decision to live the life He has intended for us. And if we do that, we can be sure that where we're headed, there's no such thing as pain.
