Suffering Meaningfully With God

One of the big problems that people have with God as a concept is that if there really were an all powerful, all knowing, benevolent God, then He wouldn’t allow so much suffering and evil to exist in the world. It is much easier to believe in a benevolent God when everything is going our way. But it is much more valuable to believe in God when times are tough because that is when we need His help the most. We follow the Lord especially during the tough times because it is only through the grace of God that our suffering can possibly have any meaning. If we reject God, if we reject the notion that God has a plan for us that includes us suffering through this particular trial, then we really are suffering pointlessly. God does not always send a legion of angels or fill us with the strength to burst our bonds. So if we don’t get a miracle immediately, it doesn’t mean that God has ceased to be a God of miracles, and it doesn’t mean that God has ceased to love us or that He has given up on us. And it definitely doesn’t mean that we have earned the right to give up on God. But if we reject God because we’re going through a hard time, then we reject the notion that any good could come from this suffering that we have to pass through. We end up just suffering for no reason. We don’t grow or expand our souls or our minds or our hearts. We don’t develop a greater sense of humility or empathy or compassion. If we withdraw further and further inwards every time we suffer a hardship, then our souls are going to shrivel up. But if we  turn to the Lord and seek wisdom and guidance and strength through our hardships, then our souls expand and our minds are enlightened and our hearts are softened. Without God, suffering is meaningless. With God, He can turn our suffering into joy, not through magically zapping us with joy, but by broadening our vision and deepening our faith and strengthening our commitment to His plan of happiness.