hmmmm

Suffering

I've been considering suffering. My own and that of others, due to sin - both the evil committed against us and the evil we commit against others. I came to a point where I think I need to learn to endure suffering (that which I can't change - I'll change what I can), because since I sin, I can't just blame everyone else for my pain. As my Grandma says, "Remember, when you point your finger at someone, you have three more pointing back at yourself." I don't like pain. I cry out and I cry when I'm in pain. I hate hurting. I want it to go away. The LORD led me to purchase a book yesterday called "The Suffering God" by Charles Ohlrich. He gave me a revelation through it.

God himself suffers. He suffers when we sin, turning from Him, His love, and His ways to others and their ways and relying on self. In the Old Testament, we read about GOD's anger, anguish, and yearning toward His people - in His anger when the Israelites turn from Him to other gods, His anguish at their turning from Him, feeling like a jilted lover, and His compassion and yearning for reconciliation in His repeated forgiving of Israel and His unconditional love toward them. He also suffered in Christ's suffering on the cross. "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself" 2 Corinthians 5:19a. God suffers.

We suffer when people sin against us, when this fallen world brings hurtful circumstances upon us, when we see those we love suffer (even those we don't know suffer) and can't help them, and when we see how we've inadvertently hurt others.

God made the world knowing He would suffer greatly and we would suffer as well. Why? If He knew all this suffering would come when He created the world and us, why did he go ahead and create it anyway? I don't think God's a masochist. I also don't think He's a sadist, He loves us very much. So why did He make us when He knew all this suffering would come to Himself and those He loves very much?

I think it's because there's something yet to come for God and for those who believe in Jesus Christ who God was in, reconciling us to Himself (see reference above). That something yet to come must be so marvelous that it's worth all His suffering and He knows it'll be worth it to us to endure all the suffering. I don't know what that something is, but the Bible gives some clues. "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9. "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Romans 8:16-18, italics mine.

Considering this "marvelous something that's coming" I can't grasp it. My mathematical mind sees it as a zero in the denominator of a fraction. Maybe in higher math something can be done with that, but for where I'm at now in math, a zero in the denominator of a fraction is called "undefined" which means, we don't know what to do with it or what it means. I see the something that's coming is marvelous by what God says in the Bible but other than that I classify it as "undefined" and I'll go on trust.

I will learn to endure suffering, looking forward to the marvelous something God has promised is coming which will make all the suffering worthwhile.

posted by Colleen @ 8:08 AM