If we could, most of us would choose to avoid pain, never face disease, avert loss, crisis, difficulties or problems. We’re sure that would go a long way toward making our lives “perfect.” Even when we pray, for ourselves or others, our prayers generally include petitions to remove us from situations or circumstances involving pain, disease or discomfort. We wish we could just eliminate these things from our lives. We don’t like to suffer.
Truth is, though, we only learn certain lessons and develop certain character traits through the sufferings we experience. A butterfly, if helped from its cocoon by human hands in order to eliminate some of its terrible struggle, emerges stunted and unable to fly.
In heaven, God tells us there will be no more tears, no more pain and suffering. But, here, on earth, we grow, we learn, we become, through the things we suffer. Without suffering, there’s never a need to learn endurance, patience, longsuffering, forgiveness, selflessness, compassion, mercy, tenacity, diligence, the ability to overcome or any of the other character traits we so admire and which make our world a better place to live.
In all of nature, the things we most value, find most beautiful, treasure most, are the result of pressure, suffering, difficulty or trial – not the result of what’s perfect, easy, pressure or care free. Coal becomes diamonds through years of intense pressure. Sand becomes a pearl because of the irritation it causes the oyster. Strength, whether physical, mental or spiritual, comes from continually working the muscles, mind or spirit, denying them the comfort they seek and forcing them past the limits they think they can endure.
Without suffering and the things it produces in us, we stay shallow in our thinking and character, self-centered, one-dimensional, stunted, unable to think about anyone but ourselves, prickly and full of rough edges. Without suffering and pain, we never realize how fragile, needy and desperate we are or reach up to find God, whose grace is sufficient for all our needs.
So, be careful before you wish away what may produce the most beautiful, satisfying, deepest, most accomplished parts of you yet. Instead of praying for God to simply remove the pain and suffering from the life of someone you love, think about praying for Him to accomplish the most good possible for that person through the pain and suffering being experienced, so that he or she emerges from it better for having gone through it.
And be grateful … grateful that suffering isn’t for nothing, that it can have purpose and meaning and can produce something far beyond the pain you may be feeling at the moment. (LYN THOMPSON)