This question has been asked since the beginning of time. I guess that isn’t quite true. This question has been asked since the fall of man. That may not be true either. It was very clear that suffering would be the outcome of disobeying God (Genesis3:16-19 (NIV)). This is going to be a short blog if I keep answering the question with one sentence answers.

It would also be insulting to use generic Bible verses as answers to life’s most complicated question about what in many cases appears to be unfair. That may not be true either. Jesus, who was without sin, suffered greatly. Why would we think we should not suffer, we who have sin as part of who we are, it is our very nature.

The question of why we suffer is probably the wrong question.

The “why” is pretty well established. You don’t have to be Christian or for that matter a religious person to see that suffering is a given and tragedy a part of life. We all make mistakes. Not all of our mistakes are benign. Regardless of intention and disconnection from any premeditation, our mistakes carry consequences and that’s before we even look at the existence of evil. For those who find the word evil too religious we can call it the actions of those who do not fit what is considered normative behaviours in the cultural construct.

Simply put, suffering comes from the imperfection of those who mean well, the darkness of those who intend harm and anyone in between.

If sin is defeated why is suffering still a part of life?

This is a better question at least for those who are followers of Christ. For those who are not, you may want to ask your deity why they have not put an end to suffering; this blog assumes that the reader is at least contemplating the Bible as truth and the God of the Bible as the only true God. For those who have no leanings toward the existence of any deity, you have no one to ask but yourselves. If you have the power, why hasn’t your group defeated the actions of those who do not fit what is considered normative behaviours in the cultural construct?

All this to say, as followers of Christ we must grapple with the completed work of the cross, defeating sin and the outcome of sin, death, appearing not to make a difference in our suffering which we say is a result of sin. I believe most of us have an answer well rooted in biblical truth. We may vary on how to address it, but the author of suffering is Satan and the cause is sin. Until Jesus returns, Satan will deceive, the ways of the world will tempt, and people will either plan to act, act in the spur of the moment, or act without realizing that what they are doing could be wrong, all of which can lead us to sin. Sin leads to suffering and suffering will always be a part of life this side of eternity.

Why do we suffer?

I guess we are still left asking this question. It doesn’t matter what or who you claim as your god or if you believe there is a god you must ask why? This isn’t as deep a question as one might think. Still, it is a very hard question to face and the answer even harder but if you figure it out you might just see suffering in a positive light even thought at it’s core it is a negative experience.

The cause of your suffering may be very apparent to you and/or to those around you. Your actions may have led to your suffering. Others’ actions may have led to your suffering. Things out of your control and completely unpredictable may have led to your suffering. Throw in the biblical idea that all have sinned, and one might be tempted to say they have the answer to why we suffer. While I cannot argue this hypothesis, I will argue that it is incomplete.

Finding purpose in suffering answers the question.

The letters from the apostles contained in the New Testament point toward suffering as part of the life of a Christian. Jesus made it clear as recorded by John in his gospel account “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NIV) The founding fathers of what we see as the church today, looked at suffering as part of every Christ followers’ life. And with some exception from the prosperity gospel types and those who see the government as responsible for Bible based laws that protect them, suffering is still an accepted part of the life of those who truly seek to be Christ followers. The problem is not in the actual suffering, any nihilist will tell you that life is suffering. The problem is in the meaninglessness that makes those who see suffering as part of life into those who find life cruel and not worth living.

I can’t tell you why you are suffering.

I can tell why people suffer in general. I can even tell you that you are a person so you will suffer. Read the book of Job to see the difficulty in trying to pinpoint how your suffering is tied into your sin especially if you are someone who has lived a life of good in comparison to most and are still suffering. In the end all I can tell you is that I am on a quest to find the purpose of my suffering in my life.

If suffering is inevitable and God’s plan is unstoppable then where the two intersect is the purpose of suffering giving us purpose for our lives.

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)