The problem of Pain

 The problem of pain

As I hear that people tried to escape Afghanistan and that people are suffering because of hurricanes, tornadoes, or other acts of God it makes me ponder why this is allowed by our loving and merciful God.  I ponder how can he see and not suffer alongside his creation as he hears our tears and our cries.  We all have experienced the suffering of some kind – whether it’s the baby who just came out of its comfortable womb to have the first cry of displeasure to the student who has angst about their studies and then to those that are dead on the tarmac because they would rather flee than fight. 

We are created with mirror neurons – we feel pain when we see it.  God made us this way.  I know he suffers with us.  He chose to come down, enter our world and die.  He enters in.  Yet, he still allows it. 

If we gave a child everything they wanted – if we always said yes and never trained them, never let them experience hardship they would be spoiled, not resilient, wimpy, and rotten.

I believe that earth is our testing grounds.

We seek, crave, and strive for comfort.  If we have it and stop growing then something is wrong.  The constant desire for growth makes us better people.  Even those who achieve their goals create new goals.

Every good story has hardship, angst,  something to overcome, or the main character changes and grows.  Without drama, stories are not full-bodied.

An example is gardening.  As a gardener, I am ruthless.  I prune and kill as soon as a flower begins to fade.  I have no mercy.  I take my favorite of the flower rhizomes and divide them with no remorse.  They are sometimes rendered into several different pieces.  I take seeds from my favorite sunflowers.  I use force to break it open so all the seeds can be thrown all over the garden.  Then, in the spring when they start to grow, I thin the babies.  I kill those that are spaced too close.

When I see the news it feels like we are God’s garden.  As the gardener I am right, the plants have no say in if they are tossed in the green bin or not.  God is sovereign, he is right.  We may suffer, He did too.  We may cry out, He did also.  He passed the test. 

The Bible says in Romans 9:20-2, (English Standard Version)  20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?

 Each of us has a different story.  We don’t choose it.  We don’t choose our date of birth, color, or disposition.  We do choose what we can do with them.  I think the problem of pain brings up that Earth is not our final destination.  It is only a stop along the path.  I do like it when Riddick says, “Me? I’m just passing thru.” 

So we don’t need to be so caught up in the temporary.  Yet, I am.  We don’t need to care about what we eat or drink.  Yet I do.  We can let go of unnecessary goals.  And that is so hard.  When we are pruned we can look down at what has been taken or we can look up to who has pruned and say, “What now?” 

I struggle with selfishness and selfish goals possibly just like you.  Pain may bring us back in line or it may be a reminder that this is not where we belong. 

What do you think?  I know that without pain we wouldn’t go to the Dr. or counseling, or try to change things.  I also know that every individual has experienced letdown, sorrow, and disappointment.