Our nation and around the world for the last few months has and is going through some very troubled times. COVID-19, rioting, killing, destroying property and even a Tropical storm. Very few have not suffered some kind of loss during this time of suffering. I have borrowed an article from The Gospel Advocate concerning suffering. You may gain some comfort by reading the following article.
WHY DO I SUFFER?
One of the most frequent questions which comes from human lips is,
“Why do I suffer so much?”
Peter Ainslie in his book, God and Me, states that “sorrow is the greatest
school room on earth.”
Jesus is described as one who knew suffering in the passage which reads,
“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer,
so opened he not his mouth” (Acts 8:32).
Means of Disciplining
Sorrow is the strongest discipline in the world and gives strength and muscle
to our faith. James said, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for
when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised
to them that love him” (James 1:12).
God shows his love for us in the chastening of His children. The author of
Hebrews wrote, “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint
when thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth”
(Hebrews 12:5, 6).
Capitalize Your Calamities
Success or failure in life will be determined on how we face our suffering,
because sorrow and misfortune are not confined to any particular group. Even
the apostle Paul had to endure what he called “a thorn in the flesh.”
Athens Clay Pullias, former President of David Lipscomb College, Nashville,
TN, told young people at Lipscomb very often, “Great men in every walk
of life have overcome obstacles. Beethoven wrote some of his incomparable music
when stone deaf. Helen Keller, though blind and deaf, was among the best
informed women of her time.”
Misfortune can become a stepping stone. The cross of Christ, intended for
a symbol of shame, has been transformed into a glorious symbol for overcoming
Satan.
Written by Willard Collins
Copied from Gospel Advocate, September 18, 1975