Many people in the world today blame God because they feel that He allows pain and suffering to exist. They blame God because of the child that gets cancer, and then ultimately dies. They blame God for a child that is born deformed. They blame God for allowing someone they care about to be addicted to drugs. They blame God for the fact that they have a loved one who dies in a car accident. They blame God for the many disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, floods) and plagues (corona-virus, locusts, etc). Many blame God for anything in their lives that causes pain and suffering. But the reality is that God does not cause pain and suffering in the world. In fact, when He created the first couple (Adam & Eve), He placed them in the beautiful Garden of Eden, in an environment of love, and without pain and suffering. God commanded Adam in Genesis 2:16-17 of the Bible, saying, "And of every tree in the garden you may freely eat; but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." This meant a spiritual death and separation from a relationship with God. Why? Because eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil meant that you believed in your own self-rule and independence (lack of need) for God in all areas of your life. Eve, though, was lured by Satan to eat of this forbidden fruit from this particular tree, and also gave to Adam for him to eat as well; therefore committing the 'original sin' of man. Man disobeyed God's command, and now caused a separation between God and Man. God created man with free will to choose to love Him and others, and to have a loving relationship with Him. But man abused this free choice by rejecting God's command, and thus creating death, sin, and pain and suffering in the world.
Free Will When God created man he gave him the gift of free will, which can make the world such a beautiful place. By giving mankind free will, God gave us the ability to choose between different options we have in our lives; options such as whom to love, what friends to have, where to live, what jobs to seek, how to lead your life, etc. But the most important of all these choices given to man and woman was that God gave us the free will to love Him as our Lord and Creator; as opposed to having this option being forced upon us. But with the eating of the fruit in the Garden of Eden against God's command we told God we can make our own choices in this world, and do not need His direction. Without this free choice, we would all be pretty much the same and would not be able to choose the life that we may want to live. Along with the giving of free choice God also bestowed mankind with many valuable personal attributes that make us different from other creatures on earth. Not only were we given the ability to reason and apply logic to our decisions, but were also given the ability to be creative, and offer new ideas and create new products to name just a few. Unfortunately, these attributes which can lead to beneficial results, can also lead to pain and suffering. As an example, items such as cars, trains, planes, guns and drugs, were all creations of mankind for man's benefit, yet can also cause pain and suffering if accidents occur, or the products are misused by man.
Pain And Suffering - always a difficult issue
Pain and suffering are a very difficult part of life and a situation where people frequently need help from God and others. People who do experience serious pain and suffering need to express their feelings and frustrations to others, and receive love, understanding, consolation, prayers and even advice from others in return. Oftentimes, people in this situation seek out others who have been through a similar situation. This is a great method of sharing one's grief and even understanding how others have dealt with tough situations in their life. Church or local social groups are often a great choice for finding others who are willing to share their like experiences. People in this situation, sometimes ask the question, "Why does God allow pain and suffering?" Unfortunately, that question cannot be answered with certainty, as we do not know God's reasons for His actions or inaction's; since humans are at a different level of understanding than a supernatural God. What we do know is that it is because of Adam and Eve's sin (man's sin and rejection of God caused by Satan), that pain and suffering are a part of our lives today. What we also know is that God does not cause pain and suffering, and is therefore not responsible for preventing or remedying it. God, though, can allow pain in our lives for several reasons: 1) Trials often strengthen our faith in situations where pain and suffering does exist and show us how to to have more compassion for others. 2) Trials are sometimes allowed to help people understand the need for God in their lives. 3) God may allow pain and suffering to keep us from becoming complacent in our spiritual life, and 4) God may allow pain and suffering in our lives, so that He can help us to endure the problem by giving us additional wisdom and strength. There are many reasons, but it is only God who knows how and when He may want to intercede in each person(s) individual case.
Many people who experience pain and suffering reach out to God for comfort and peace with their situation and have found that God responds to their need. In fact, many times people turn to God in these times and end up becoming stronger and happier in their lives than ever before. Unfortunately, others blame and resent God for not preventing or quickly remedying the pain and suffering that they are experiencing in their lives, and seek to distance themselves from God instead of asking Him for His help, direction, comfort and peace. Prayer in these terribly painful times is frequently found to be a great aid in the trial period and recovery process. One of the key things to understand though, is that God may have His own time frame and reasons for dealing with any persons' trials, and it may not always be a timely response. Oftentimes, God's response may require patience from the person(s) seeking His help. Yet, even knowing this, never give up on God. Continue to pray for His help, and trust and have faith that He will deliver; for great faith and trust in God often yields great benefits.
Satan's Opportunity
Satan is the ultimate evil force on earth and constantly tempts all mankind to do evil and sinful things; sinful things that can cause us to be separated from God and bring us closer to him (Satan). He loves to step into people's lives who are experiencing serious pain and suffering, which is oftentimes caused by Satan himself, and convince them that God has failed them. Satan tries to convince people that the Lord never stepped in to assist them when He could have. Satan also loves to drive people away from God when they are the most susceptible and looking for answers. He convinces many that God could not be a good God if He allows pain and suffering, and that God is not worth your love or your attention. Satan's intent is to keep you miserable and resentful for as long as possible and to destroy your faith by making you believe that Heaven is unattainable and untrue. His greatest hope is that you spend eternity with him (in hell) and not God (in Heaven). Unfortunately, Satan is sometimes successful in this approach to take people away from the one who can really help them the most – God. In the Bible there are several quotes as to pain and suffering, and that God will turn all suffering and grief into joy. For example, in Jeremiah 31:13 the Bible states, ”For I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow.“
God's Loving Gestures God is a loving God, and one who truly loves all of His creations on earth. A good example of God's incredible love for us is that He sent His only son Jesus to earth to die on the cross as a sinless substitute for the forgiveness and atonement of all our past and future sins; if people should believe and have faith in His Son Jesus. Jesus died this excruciating death on the cross so that we could be reconciled to His Father and Himself in Heaven, and end our separation from Him caused by Adam and Eve's sin. He promises in Rev 21:1-4 of the Bible an Everlasting life in a 'New Heaven' here on earth. He further states that this New Heaven will be one of love, joy and peace, and an environment that is absolutely free from all death, sin, and pain and suffering. Surely, this will be a great environment to be re-united with loved ones for eternity. And who better to share it with than Jesus Christ, who will govern us all in the 'New Heavenly Kingdom' on earth. This is why it so important for all people to understand why they need in their lives not only God the Father, but also His son Jesus and God's Holy Spirit.
Final Thoughts
God wants in the worst way for as many of His creations to join with Him and His Son Jesus in Eternal life. God knew that because of the sin in the world, caused by Adam and Eve, that no man could ever earn heaven by their own good works or deeds. This is mentioned many times by different authors in the New Testament of the Bible, and is the reason why God offered Salvation and Eternal life as a free gift (an unwarranted favor) to all those who would believe and have faith in His Son. To believe and have faith in Jesus means that, 1) You believe in who Jesus Christ was - the Son of God, 2) That He died on the cross for our past and future sins, so that we could have eternal life, 3) That He was resurrected into heaven by His Father on the 3rd day after His death, and 4) That Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer. Even though one's past, present and future sins have been forgiven, people must make a commitment to living a better and less sinful life going forward. By this act, God will send His Holy Spirit to live in their heart and mind (through Baptism), and transform the individual to a new and better person over time. But, this gift of God clearly demonstrates to all His and Jesus' love for all of their children on earth.
If you do not know enough about Jesus, the most important person to have ever lived on earth, please find the time to talk to a friend who is educated in the Christian faith and Bible, or even better, a local Christian pastor as to how to proceed. Both would love to speak to you, and give you sound advice as to how to move forward. You see, Jesus is the answer to an eternal life in Heaven. As you may, or may not know, Jesus, while on earth performed hundreds of miracles, forty reported in the New Testament of the Bible alone. Jesus raised three people from the dead, healed the deaf, mute and blind, healed paralytics, healed lepers, performed exorcisms, changed water into wine at the Cana wedding, fed five thousand with just a few loaves and a few fish, walked on water, calmed the winds and seas, etc. Surely, Jesus was not a common man, but one given authority by His father above. In John 14:6 of the Bible Jesus states, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." So, if you do not know anything about Jesus, please seek Him out. It will be the best thing you have ever done. I know it was for me. It changed my life. Not only do I now love and care for others to a greater extent, but I am much happier with my life over-all. My belief in Jesus has helped me to understand my purpose in life and to feel comfortable about spending a wonderful eternal life in heaven with those that I love. This new life would be one of love and happiness, no death, no sin, and no pain and suffering. What more could one ask for than this? So, if you currently do not have a strong relationship with Jesus, or He is not a major part of your current life, you might seriously want to seek further information on Him. For, eternity is a long time if you are not in heaven with those you love. So, do not be tentative about moving forward to change your life to one centered on Jesus Christ, as He is the answer to salvation and eternal life.
References
Bible – New King James Version (NKJV)
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