Suffering, a true test of faith

 Suffering has never been a good phenomenon. In fact, most people find it downright and distasteful, probably because suffering dogs out footsteps as people progress through life yet suffering has its purpose. It matures as emotionally and spiritually while it also play a part in helping us get stronger in physical might and faith. Those who haven’t experienced much suffering usually have shallow and immature personality. Their world revolve around them rather than revolving around God and fellow men. When diversity strikes, they can’t seem to cope with it. They either run away physically or mentally or even escape through suicide. They lash at others as though these people are responsible for their misfortune. In the past, these categories of people are self sufficient, now there is nowhere to turn to, they quickly loose their faith and trust in God.

Suffering awakens us to realization that we do not have all the answers in life. The solution is not in our hands. In this way, we have to trust because there is nowhere to turn. Suffering humbles and refines us; it makes us more compassionate towards others, less judgmental, more sensitive to the need of others, more willing to the service of others. One can see the crucified Christ Jesus in the live of those who unite their suffering with Him. Sometimes, our suffering comes from striving to be faithful to the will of God. At other times, our sorrows comes from circumstances over which we have no control such as illness, joblessness, financial difficulties, family problems, all these sufferings have immense value in the eyes of God. The sorrows, the disappointment, the headache, failure can all be turned into supernatural gold and help us to mature spiritually.

“My God, My God, why have thou forsaken me”? was Christ Jesus word on his sufferings, how often does these words of scripture come to our mind when sorrow and suffering strikes? A death in the family, a problematic marriage and a chronic illness can all find us turning to God with tears in our eyes and anguish in our hearts. Most people were taught as children that everything that happens to us have a divine purpose including pain and suffering. Yet, how often is it to us to see God’s love and providence in pain.

The church teaches us that pain and suffering came into the world as consequences of original sin. Only one’s sin plunged the whole world into darkness. One’s sin lies behind all suffering known to mankind that is the reason we die, fight war, get sin and natural disaster.

The secondary cause of suffering is the devil although few people know that this formidable force is the source of their misery. The third is human own nature, weakness and failing such as pride, selfishness, lack of self control. In fact most of human sufferings are caused by what humans do or what they fail to do. Lack of self control for example, with regard to food, drink and drug has destroyed many lives and families. Imagine slight can ruin friendship and marriage, while uncontrolled anger results in battered wives and children. Parents who lack courage to form and discipline their children when they are young suffer much when their children are grown.

The lack of chastity in our society fosters promiscuity, contraception and anti-life mentality. But in all, our sufferings are actually gifts because good can come from evil through God’s intervention. Through our sufferings and trials we are playing a significant role in the redemption of others. We should know that trials and tribulations of the day-to-day activities, we do share in the suffering of Christ as part of his mystical body as people of God. We can be sure this involves sufferings, struggle and pain, but if we really keep faith, we will never feel we have lost God’s favour. In the midst of sorrow and even calumny, we will experience happiness which moves us to love others, help them share in our supernatural joy. God’s sufferings overwhelm us because we take it like a coward and because we are faint-hearted. We should meet it bravely with a Christian spirit that is when it will be appreciated like a treasure. Sometimes God tests our love, as he did that of Abraham by giving us a taste of sorrow.

God uses suffering to teach us the truth, among them is the virtue of hope and to trust in Him. God knows sufferings and sorrows to show us that we are too attached to human beings or human comforts. He is also teaching us that all hope must be placed in the only permanent being which is God. No wonder the United States of America have in their currency written ‘In God We trust’. When God gives a cross, we don’t know how long we will have to carry it. Our human nature assumes that it will be a life time. It could be lifetime or just a couple of hours or minutes only God knows the duration of our time of trial. Leave your sufferings in the hands of Christ for without cross and suffering there will be no crown of glory.