Suffering

   Years ago, in the circles I was in, I was led to believe that suffering was not from God. Now it could have been me just coming to wrong conclusions on things, but I misunderstood, and thought that when a person comes to Christ and is born again, the curse was removed from him or her, and now we would be able to live a 'suffering-free' life, if there was such a thing.
   I didn't understand that even after a person comes to Christ, it doesn't remove the person from being in a fallen world, and having the affects of it. I also mistakenly believed that if a person had enough faith, he or she would be healed from their disease or weakness.
   After taking some Biblical counseling courses, I began to see that every person that has ever been born, or who will be born someday, is going to experience suffering. It is just part of the territory.
   Suffering is not an evidence of God being weak, like I used to think, nor is it an indication of lack of faith.  God uses suffering to shape those who are His, into the image of His Son. God causes both His blessings, and sufferings to come on those who know Him, as well as those who don't. No one is exempt.
   Here are some causes for our suffering:
1. Other people
2. The devil
3. Living in a fallen world
4. Our own sin
5. Sometimes, for reasons only known to Himself, God

Here is what we can learn about suffering, based on God's character; God is sovereign and allows it. God loves His own and will be with each one through their suffering. God is with us and gives us the strength to go through it. We can help others who are suffering, once we have suffered. Suffering helps us come to maturity, spiritually speaking.
  Of course, that doesn't mean we take a defeatist attitude, or become fatalistic either. If we are suffering, we are to pray. We need to have others in the body of Christ walk with us through our sufferings. Our sufferings are momentary, and compared to the beauty and greatness of our God, they are light. It is true, that God may change our circumstances. But if He doesn't, then He will use our sufferings to help us to grow. It will be for our good, and for God's glory ultimately.
   If we are suffering as a consequence of our sins, then we can repent of our sins that are causing us grief. We still might have to suffer the consequences, but God will forgive us if we truly repent and He will even use the difficulties we experience for our good and His glory.
  The goal of suffering is to bring us to the Cross and to learn to depend on God. We learn to trust Him through our sufferings. And that is a good thing, and will bring forth good fruit in our lives.
"Suffering is the badge of the true Christian. The disciple is not above his master. Discipleship means allegiance to the suffering Christ, and it is therefore not at all surprising that Christians should be called upon to suffer." –Dietrich Bonhoeffer, executed in 1945