Some people complain that a just God wouldn't allow all the suffering we see in the world. I'm sure some of them aren't smart enough to think through the implications of the words, but most of them are just letting emotions override reason.
Without suffering, the term "justice" is meaningless. What is the point of a "just God" who has nothing to judge? On what basis can anyone call God just or unjust except by the standard that He sets as Creator?
Like "rich" and "poor", the term "suffering" is entirely relative to the experience of the speaker. A wealthy man in Haiti is a poor man in Hawaii. If tonight God were to eliminate all of the most painful experiences a person could ever have, then what we think is merely uncomfortable today will become unbearable torment tomorrow. The same people who cry about famine and war today will cry about influenza and warts tomorrow.
They should stop assuming that they are the center of the universe and all perspectives and experiences must be judged by their own. Instead, they should start wondering if suffering beyond anything they've ever imagined might be possible, and they should be grateful that it remains that way. They (meaning me too) should be grateful for the opportunities that God has given them to grow stronger through lifting heavy burdens and climbing high obstacles. They should wonder what great task God might have in store for the entire human race such that the terrible things we witness and endure might be necessary in order to prepare us.
What kind of God allows suffering? The kind who has a broader perspective and longer time horizons than you and I.
See also God Knows Why You Suffer.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Tell me something.