Suffering and a Savior

A twelve-year-old girl sits on her bed in the cancer wing of the local children’s hospital. She is accompanied by the consistent beep of the IV pole and the three bags of toxic chemotherapy slowly dripping into a clear tube leading to her new but now permanent intra-venous central line. As she looks around, the stark white walls and sterile feel of the room just emphasize the reality of this fight with leukemia. As she looks up to the mirror across the room from her bed, she doesn’t recognize the face staring back at her. The child in that reflection is not the same girl from three months prior. The child in that reflection looks exhausted, worn, and tattered from this now constant battle she’s been given. The suffering this child is enduring is one no child should ever have to endure, but this is the reality of the broken world we live in. In fact, according to the American Cancer Society, “About 9,550 children in the United States under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2025”(American Cancer Society). But what did these children ever do to deserve this? What is the point of all of this suffering? Can any good truly be found in this level of struggle?

Well, in short, yes. But to fully understand what good can come from suffering, we must first define it: “A physical or mental pain that a person is feeling” (Cambridge Dictionary). So, while there are different interpretations of suffering, they all have one thing in common: hardship of an individual or group of people. A struggle that someone is enduring. As Sarah Walton, the author of Tears and Tossings, says, “[W]hile we all shared different stories one thing was clear– we were all searching for comfort, purpose, hope, and healing in our pain. There were no simple fixes or empty platitudes that would bring comfort [to this kind of hurt].” (Walton, Tears and Tossing’s 7-8).

The varied perspectives of this universal truth of suffering are directly rooted in one’s worldview or moral beliefs. These “roots” or religions are one of the sole reasons people explore this topic of suffering today. Each religion has chosen to take a particular stance on this topic and its fundamentals. As Tim Keller states, “[S]ome cultures have taught that pain and suffering stem from the failure of people to live rightly.” He continues, “many societies believe that if you honor the moral order and God or the gods, your life will go well. That bad circumstances are a wakeup call that you need to repent and change your ways” (Walking with God, p.17). Therefore, depending on the worldview, the fundamentals of suffering are up to interpretation, which causes a difference of opinion. However, regardless of what you believe, suffering is an inevitable part of life. Whether secular humanist, Christian, or otherwise, pain and suffering have a reason, elicit a response, and cause a development in perspective. To understand this cause and response is to understand how humanity reacts and what they truly believe. However, faith in Christ and His purpose in suffering provide a hope and a future that others do not.

Despite the perspectives or view of suffering, the truth is that, “No matter how we try to sugarcoat it or find a silver lining, there's something about suffering and loss that shakes our confidence, disorients us, dulls the things we once enjoyed, and brings questions that demand an answer” (Walton, Tears and Tossings, p.8). It is in this darkness of suffering and the crucible of pain we will truly find where our heart and our confidence lies. As we explore these different religions, the good that can be found in suffering, and the hope in suffering that Christianity provides causes the blurred lines of the fundamentals concerning suffering start to gain some clarity.

To begin, the religion of Buddhism tends to focus on one fundamental that has been assigned the name “self-transcendence.” As Tim Keller states in his book Walking with God through Pain and Suffering (p.17-19),“Buddhism teaches that suffering comes not from past deeds but from unfulfilled desires and those desires are the result of the illusion that we are individual selves.” Taking this stance on suffering causes a certain level of selfishness and self-searching because, according to Buddhist beliefs, the only cause of suffering is desire. There are “Four Noble Truths” all Buddhists live by, which inform their understanding and perspective of suffering. Initially “[a]cknowledging suffering is an inherent part of life,” they are called to attempt to “identify the origin of suffering,” which many Buddhist sources tend to “attribute to craving desire and attachment.” They continue on by saying the only way to achieve “releasing ourselves” from this suffering is “by ridding ourselves of craving and attachment”(Weaver, Orion Philosophy). In analyzing these Noble Truths and sources, it seems that they recognize it, access the origin (being desire), “achieve Nirvana” by stepping away from temptation of desire, and finally end in outlining the “Eightfold” path. All this to say, Buddhism believes that suffering comes from desire, that it is a self-created origin and problem and therefore has a self-created solution. In this belief system, however, it is easy to see a hole in the ability to find hope or purpose in the process of suffering. Through this belief system, it provides a self-created problem and a self created solution, but isn’t something missing?

On another side of the spectrum, the religion of Hinduism believes in “[a] moralistic view of reincarnation, suffering is connected to that because it is said that the mistakes and sins you’ve committed in your past life, will cause suffering in the current life or when you’re reincarnated” (Healthline). This definition highlights the, once again, self-created problem and its consequences. Basically, meaning that “no one gets away with anything. Everything must be paid for through atonement in your next life” (Tim Keller: Walking with God…p.18). You are judged by the way that you live, so theoretically it matches up with Christianity, but the consequence and underlying root for suffering differs drastically. “According to this law, man is the architect of his own fate and maker of his own destiny. Karma signifies the way of life, that is, what we think, say, and do and it brings conditioning of the mind, the root cause of embodiment” (RamaKrishna). Now what are their responses when suffering comes their way? “The joys and suffering of a human individual are of his own making. Good and evil are mind-made and not God-created. The law of karma exhorts a [h]indu to right actions, giving him the assurance that, just as a saint had a past, so also a sinner has a future” (RamaKrishna).  Basically meaning that our actions on earth will affect the suffering we will endure and the reward we will receive before and after death. But regardless of the response or the cause, the origin is the one thing that is the “root of all evil” as some might call it. “When a person does something, it has an effect: good actions have good effects, bad actions have bad effects. Thoughts have effects as well. An individual person carries around these accumulated effects, this karma” (Patheos). Simply put, Hinduism states that our actions will affect our suffering; however there is yet another gaping hole in the hope department. When we are faced with a “self created” suffering, how are we supposed to find any purpose or hope in that?

The secular humanism system, however, can be likened to morality. The definition of secular humanism from the Oxford Dictionary is, “the belief that humanity is capable of morality and self-fulfillment without belief in God.” According to Psychology Today, “Secular Humanism begins with denial or doubt concerning the existence of anything supernatural—including God—but then goes well beyond that secular stance by positively affirming and valuing the potential of human beings to be kind, enact justice, solve problems, and make the world a better, safer, greener, and more humane place.” To begin evaluating suffering from this perspective, it is a very worldly and atheistic stance that seemingly aligns with the basic concept of morality. However when considering our topic, “From the secular humanist viewpoint, suffering is often seen as an arbitrary byproduct of chance, not a deliberate or meaningful component of life’s journey. They argue that pain and adversity, largely contingent on external factors and random occurrences, cannot be reliably used as tools for growth or development” (The Medium:The Secular Humanist View of Suffering). So, in short, it's all up to chance. While other religions or viewpoints have specific origins, when it comes to secular humanism it's chance and non-supernatural. The belief system here is that suffering can and will be stopped and alleviated through technology, man-made fixes, and luck because it is a byproduct of chance (The Medium). So, again the ability to find hope and purpose in any suffering, from the secular humanistic belief system, is nearly impossible.

And lastly, we will consider suffering in the context of Christianity, the ultimate source of truth and reason we are all here today. The Christian worldview tells us that suffering and sin originate in the garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Genesis 3, they invited sin into the world. Upon their disobedience, God came to them saying, “Have you eaten from the tree I commanded you not to eat from? What is this you have done... because you have done this, cursed are you above all and livestock and all wild animals!... until you return to the ground since from it you were taken for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:15,19; English Standard Version). God, being holy and just, punished them for the sin they committed. In this sin, the FIRST sin, it invited the reality of suffering, darkness, famine, and death into God’s perfect world. But while suffering is painful and difficult, unlike other belief systems, Christianity provides hope in the darkness of suffering.

To first summarize, God allows suffering into this world because He is always working out his redemptive purposes and He can bring good in it. But just as we've asked before... What is the Christian response? The Bible, the ultimate source of truth, gives us these answers. As Romans 5: 3-4 reads, “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (English Standard Version). Suffering can be a pathway to hope in God’s sovereign plan but also can be a test of our faith, “[f]or you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:3). But why? And how? Why do Christians find such hope and joy in suffering? What is accomplished in this suffering? These are all questions that constantly circulate when it comes to suffering and the Christian faith and that is where we will start.

First, God is sovereign over everything, from creation to eternity, and He is in control of every detail of our lives, even suffering. As Tim Keller states: “God is absolutely sovereign over suffering. It's never out of his control. It's always a part of his plan. On the other hand, God has come into the world himself and actually suffered with us…this is the theological foundation for why Christians can be so realistic and yet so hopeful about suffering at the same time.” (Keller, the Gospel Coalition). God has full knowledge of all things and is always working out His redemptive plan. The Word tells us how Jesus even suffered with us and suffered tenfold to what we can even imagine. He was crucified on the cross, beaten, tempted, and scorned all while in His human body. Can you and I even imagine the depths of that suffering? And in His mercy, He knows we are suffering, and He promises to be with us and supply the grace that is needed. He is perfectly able to prevent or stop it, but then what would we learn? Would we be pushed to lean on Him and ask Him for strength? As world renowned author C.S Lewis writes in his book The Problem of Pain, “God whispers to us in our pleasures... but shouts in our pains.” Maybe we are having a perfect life and everything is going smoothly, but are we praying? Are we taking time out of the chaos of life and coming to Him humbly to honor Him? Are we making time to simply BE with Him other than to ask Him for something? When struggles come and pain ensues, we plead for God, we call out for Him and look for any signs of Him working in it. God shouts in our pain, and we become utterly dependent on Him alone as we wait for answers. But when He whispers in our pleasures, do we even notice? Through pain, God causes a revival, a spark to relight, and chooses not to remove or prevent this suffering. This is an active exemplification of Christ’s sovereignty over our lives and the struggles we endure throughout it.

Something that can cause Christians to doubt God and His sovereignty is that fact that we may expect an easy life. No trials, or true suffering. As D. A. Carson writes in his book How Long, O Lord? “One of the major causes of devastating grief and confusion among many Christians is that our expectations are false. We do not give the subject of evil and suffering the thought it deserves until we ourselves are confronted with tragedy...” But, in fact, the Bible actually promises to us we WILL suffer; it is not a matter of if, but when. John 16:33 reads,”I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Christ is fully articulating to us that we will suffer… in fact it is guaranteed! But in the understanding and knowledge that we will endure suffering, we also remember that God has complete and utter control over everything and has written the ending to the story before the foundations of the world were established. Christ, in conquering death, conquered this world. Thankfully, He knows how the story ends, and because of that truth, we can take heart and find peace in the suffering of this worldly existence.

While we might not realize or value it at the time, God's allowance of suffering has a purpose. “I've come to see that it's through the deepest suffering that God has taught me the deepest lessons. If we trust him for it, we can come to the unshakeable assurance that he's in charge and has a loving purpose”(Suffering is never for nothing, pg.1), Elisabeth Elliot says in her book, Suffering is Never for Nothing. She is “no stranger to [the reality and effects of] suffering.” Her husband was killed while ministering in Ecuador and lost her second spouse to cancer. How did she find comfort and purpose through the suffering? By knowing that God’s permittance of suffering would bring a deeper, more intimate fellowship with Him, and a greater awareness of His all sufficient grace and purpose for her life.

This purpose through suffering is God’s call to lean on and trust him, but this struggle is also for His honor.“The point is, you're being called to do something that is so abnormal and so countercultural and so against human nature, it is supernatural, and you can't do it. And it isn't for your honor” (Piper, Desiring God ). When we are able to find hope in suffering, it stands out in a world of self-pity and self-righteousness. As we, as Christians, suffer well we are honoring our Maker and our King who is sovereign over the suffering we are enduring. As we suffer for His honor, we are an extension and visual representation to the world of our God and King Jesus Christ. Yes, we do suffer because God wants us to draw near to him and come to an understanding that He has control, but He also wants us to suffer for His honor.

But it's not just the suffering that is for His honor, but rather the way that we are enduring that truly honors Him. By God’s redemptive design, suffering uniquely equips us as Christians to help carry another's burden. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 reads, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” Those who have already carried their own burdens or needed someone to help them with their burdens are the best burden carriers. Those who have already suffered and been comforted by Christ in their own lives are the best burden carriers. They have the unique ability to enter into someone else’s pain or suffering and provide measures of comfort and hope that draw from their own experiences of suffering. As a cancer survivor myself, that testimony the Lord has given me has equipped me to both sympathize and empathize with those who struggle with the life-changing disease or suffering from other physical affiliations.  My testimony is the perfect representation of Corinthians 1:4…as God has comforted me in my suffering, I can now comfort those with the grace, mercy, endurance and hope He gifted to me in that valley of suffering. Our suffering will someday impact someone else, for His glory and our/their good.

Our suffering is also a testimony to the world of what is most important and lasting in life. “When we respond to suffering well, we practically demonstrate to the unbelieving world that Christ is more glorious and precious to us than any pain or difficulty we might endure” (Sobolik, Suffering: For God's Glory and Your Good).  As we suffer well, we demonstrate to others that our life here is temporary, and God’s promises and redemptive purposes are for our eternal good. We need not look hard to find confirmation of this truth in Scripture. Romans 8:18 states, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” And 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 calls us to have the long view of eternity:

“ So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self  is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 1 Peter 5:10 reminds us, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

Our response to suffering can point others to the eternal hope found only in Jesus Christ.

Suffering well, however, does not mean we are immune to feelings of sadness, grief, or doubt. In our humanness, God knows these emotions will accompany our circumstances. We are allowed to feel this way, for it is in this grief we can experience the testing and refining of our faith. For example, the book of Job is a powerful story of a man who endures suffering well. He was wealthy and lived a comfortable, unproblematic life. However, he is given news that his sheep, servants, and all ten children have died due to “natural disasters,” but he still refuses to curse or deny God. While he is undergoing these tragedies, his friends mock and scorn him, as well as push him to disown God. Job becomes scared, angry, and bitter, crying out to God, but God comforts him in these trials. Job never completely gives up God, even while he deals with the grief and the mocking. Despite his overwhelming trials Job still stands and says, “As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,as long as my breath is in me and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,my lips will not speak falsehood and my tongue will not utter deceit… I will teach you concerning the hand of God, what is with the Almighty I will not conceal” (Job 27: 2-4,11). Job never curses God and never hides his faith. He will not “conceal” the God who saves him. But he also doesn’t shy away from stating his life has been made bitter. He was able to recognize the pain, deal with it, and find God in the midst of it all. His example is a true test of faith in times of trouble. He finished the book with, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). As Job represented this unbelieving world, God’s purpose in suffering and Job’s knowledge of that changed him and his view on the suffering Almighty God was allowing him to endure. In the end, Job persevered under trial for God and through God saying, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold” (Job 23:10).

A critic of this story could go something like this: “Well, why does Job have faith in a heavenly power he can’t see or frankly even prove is there or listening to or cares for him?” In short, he can’t. He doesn’t have to trust in something he can’t see, but Job has been given the gift of faith, trusting his circumstances to his known God. He has counted the promises of God to be true and He believes the power of God to be greater than any trial, affliction, or suffering he is called to endure. The words of Scripture had informed Job’s view of himself, God, and his circumstances and he believed the truth of an all-powerful Creator. Just like how we are able to trust that oxygen is in the air, we can’t see it nor can we touch it, but we know it’s there because scientific proof tells us it is and our very existence depends on it. We can’t guarantee that the sun will come up every day, but it does. We trust and have faith that it will because God made it so and science has confirmed it. To have faith in something we can’t see, and for Job to have faith in a God he couldn’t personally witness, is a trust that is only possible through faith and through the knowledge of and trust in the Word of God.

However, it is also the natural human response to doubt the reality of God and His plan. There were countless stories in the Bible of people who doubted God. An example is found in doubting Thomas, who said “[u]nless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe” (John 20:25b). As much as Thomas wanted to believe, the tangible evidence was not there to give him proof for his faith. Then Jesus came to Thomas, as the Bible tells us in John 20:26-29,“Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”  Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” This is the tension of being human: desiring physical proof so we can believe versus the gift of faith to believe the truth of God’s word and promises even when we cannot see.

Another dynamic beyond what we can learn about suffering from the Bible and other people’s examples is: how does suffering change us?  As Elisabeth Elliot says, “Suffering is never for nothing.” It scientifically, mentally, spiritually, changes us. Our outlook and perspective on life can drastically change. Even from a non-Christian point of view, “Research shows people experience significant personal development after traumatic events, such as bereavement, serious illness, accidents or divorce. Over time, they may feel a new sense of inner strength and confidence and gratitude for life and other people” (Taylor, Trauma and Transformation). Suffering and difficulties cause a mindset change; whether Christian or otherwise, it changes us. The outlook on all of life changes, speaking from personal experience. For those who came inches from death, they will live every day like it’s the last, not taking the moments for granted. For those who had a deadly disease that almost killed them, they will enjoy life to the fullest because they will never know when their time will come or the disease may return. Suffering can cause a shift in the perspective on life and a “wake up call” that life is so fragile, and it does not last forever.

However, this wake-up call will not come during the quietness of life, but through the suffering of this life. “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved” (Helen Keller, We Bereaved ). This is where suffering and struggle find purpose regardless of the belief system or religion. And this is where everyone can come to an agreement. Suffering, while difficult and painful, produces a change in character, perspective, and in turn changes the lives of those around us.

You can be told all the statistics, all the numbers and all the articles; but just another primary source for finding hope in suffering and enduring is real life experiences. For example, Bob Ash is a pristine example of suffering but hope within it. He is a close friend of my family’s and has recently been diagnosed with cancer. He had two options: wallow in the self-pity and realization that he is facing a life-threatening disease, or he could turn to his God and Savior and cry out asking for strength and lean on Him. Which path do you think he chose? Another example of perseverance and leaning on God during suffering is that of Haley Fox. I personally knew her and her difficult road she was set on. From age seventeen on, she had fought cancer. While I only knew her a short time, her faith in God’s promise was evident in her battle. While she didn’t win her battle against cancer, she brought many others to glory and to Christ. That was her purpose. When she passed away, she inspired many more through how her friends and family responded to her death; they could have chosen to fall away from God and blame His “plan” for the death of Haley. But instead, they chose to celebrate a day just for her, on the day of her passing. Though her endurance and long run race didn’t end in a win against death, she impacted many lives and gave others the ability to see her purpose played out before their eyes. She was constantly able to have hope through this painful reality that she carried for over five years, and once that race was complete, she was able to stand before God and hear him say “[w]ell done, my good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23).

Another example is that of Ann Voskamp, who wrote the story called “One Thousand Gifts” telling the details of how her sister passed in her very own driveway after being run over by a car. This level of loss and grief is known to very few, but Ann, instead of giving up on God and His purpose, decided to lean on Him. She called out to Him in this time of suffering and fear instead of running the other way. In her book, she says, “I want to see beauty. In the ugly, in the sink, in the suffering, in the daily, in all the days before I die, the moments before I sleep.” As she processes the unthinkable loss, she also realizes the importance of noticing and thanking God for His gifts of grace and protection daily. These are just some of thousands upon thousands of examples I could offer, but they all remind us we are not promised an easy life and we are not promised a life with no pain. But through this dark but hopeful reality we can learn to find our stronghold in Christ.

This hope that I’ve spoken about, to non-believers, is a difficult topic to grasp. It is not tangible nor visible. Hope through suffering is not handed to us on a silver platter, in fact sometimes hope feels invisible. And if that’s the case, if we have to look so hard for the hope that might not even be there, then why are we hoping at all? Well, even to those who may not have faith, the science of hope is undeniable. “Hope is rooted in our biology. When we feel hopeful, the brain releases chemicals like dopamine, which reinforces motivation… [basically saying] hope isn’t passive—it actively drives us to persevere. Studies in neuroscience have shown that hope activates the brain’s reward systems, lighting up the same regions as when we anticipate achieving a goal” (Scientific Humanist). So, hope is not just a contrived idea but rather it is rooted in our brain and our subconscious. And as we begin to experience hope, it ignites this spark to keep going, to keep persevering. That article continues,

“Hope is a biological push forward…research has shown that hope can have physical effects on the body. Patients with higher levels of hope often recover faster from illnesses, manage chronic pain more effectively, and are better equipped to deal with stress. This isn’t magic—it’s biology. Hope creates a mental resilience that supports the body in healing” (Scientific Humanist).

This initially invisible hope can start to be more and more apparent to those who look for it. While some people’s hope is rooted in Christ and others in self or other things, hope and its effects are quite similar. Finding hope in suffering produces the healing and endurance to cross the finish line, win the race, and give the person the ability to look back with a changed perspective on all they have overcome.

Another point that non-believers seem to make when debating the reality of good in suffering is the question of, “Isn’t Christianity just a crutch for the weak?” The Bible speaks to the examples of Christ. He sat and ate a meal with “the worst of the worst” sinners, tax collectors, robbers, and worse. Someone asked his disciples,“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard this, he responded, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. For I have come not to call the righteous but the sinners’ ”  (Matthew 9:11-13). Christ is not looking to use people who trust in their own strength but the ones who want to lean on Him. “We are people with a sickness, disease, that has infected everyone, and we need to be healed, we need to be cured. Jesus is that cure, the only cure. So, are Christians weak? Is Jesus just a crutch for the lame? Yes, very much so. It is because we are sinners that we need a Savior.” (Carswell 90).

The Cambridge Dictionary defines suffering as “[a] physical or mental pain that a person is feeling.” While this definition may not be long and deep, it pretty well sums up suffering as a whole. This pain, this struggle, this suffering is something we all will endure someday. It is guaranteed that we will. But the comprehension of suffering, how to respond, and how we as Christians find hope in it is of most importance. To summarize a Christian’s worldview on suffering: God has a plan and a higher purpose: we are suffering for his glory…by suffering well, we exemplify who we believe in and where our hope is found. As the well known hymn, “On Christ the Solid Rock”, reminds us,

“My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil. His oath, his covenant, his blood supports me in the ‘whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way. He then is all my hope and stay. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”

Our hope and our push to keep suffering well for God, is built on the promise of His cross and His deliverance.

Through this suffering that we will endure, as we represent Christ through our response, we are given the opportunity to further His Kingdom. This does not mean that we will not falter, fall short, get mad at God, or doubt His goodness. The important part is that we will always fall back and lean on Him in the times when our faith is tested, the doubt seems to be overflowing, and we stumble through the darkness trying to find the light. We are not given suffering to be a testament to our own strength but to be a testament to God's strength and the purpose that He has placed in our lives. “Regardless of how different we all are, we all share one thing in common- the heartache of a life we never expected… and we know pain and all the outworkings of its unwanted presence.” (Walton, Tears and Tossings. p.7).  So regardless of what you believe, suffering is an inevitable part of life. Whether you are an atheist, a Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, etc, pain and suffering have a purpose, elicit a response, and result in a development in character and perspective. As the understanding of this cause and response is developed, we can come to an understanding on how humanity reacts and what they truly believe. However, faith in Christ and His purpose in suffering provide a hope and a future that others do not. It provides a firm foundation, a purpose in our pain, and a crutch to lean on until we are home again with Christ.

So, that sick little girl has two options. She can either curse God and say that it's His fault she is suffering. Representing to the unbelieving world that she doesn’t truly trust Him and His plan. OR. She can choose to find hope in the suffering, take heart in Christ, rely on His perfect plan, and look for Him working through it.  She can be thankful for every day she wakes up and gets to keep fighting. She can find peace in the purpose God has laid out for her in this suffering and trust Him. She can be a burden carrier to others as they walk through this pain and suffering like she did. And she can have faith in a God she can’t see and in a purpose she doesn’t understand.

That is exactly what that little girl chose. That little girl who could hardly stand on her own decided instead of fighting with her own strength she leaned on God. She, despite all odds, turned 13, then 14, then 15. Her story didn’t end when she began suffering; in fact, it changed it for the better. She got baptized, learned to drive a car, had best friends, applied to college, shared her story, and even worshiped Christ openly as a music leader. She chose to use the scars that Christ allowed her to gain, to help people. She was an extension and representation of God’s kingdom. Regardless of her struggle and pain, she chose to find hope in the suffering, light in the darkness, and purpose in the pain.

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