Our past affects whom we become in the future. Our experiences mold us into somebody who is different from who we used to be. It is through those experiences that we learn and realize how to become better versions of ourselves. And sometimes, we tend to forget that.
I once felt hopeless and lost that I didn’t even know where I belong. I tried to bear the feeling of being hurt. It became my everyday struggle. Though the sufferings were minor, the times which I carry it in me were ages. But the experience I had led me to a reflection that everything that we experience is anchored on a purpose and it made me ponder into this question: Why does God allow us to suffer?
- We suffer so that we may have fellowship with others who are in affliction: the lost, the needy and the poor. When we finally overcome the trials we have experienced and we see the other people going on the same, it reminds us to not look at them with judgement but through the lessons we have learned, help them. In doing so, we are able to unite our own suffering with the sufferings of other people and more than everything, with the suffering of Christ on the cross.
- We suffer in order for us to glorify God in our lives. It is in our own limitations that God’s presence is made more visible in our hearts. After being able to attain the lessons that God wants us to have, we can say that facing challenges are worth it. Remember, we are never alone in this journey. Take courage because God is forever there for us, supporting and guiding through everything.
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- The Scripture further teaches that we suffer in order that God may teach us lessons in prayer. Sometimes, we have to settle ourselves first for us to hear the messages of the Lord. Truth revealed may hurt us, but it frees us from the consequences, as the Holy Spirit guides us in prayer.
- We also experience suffering so that God might bring repentance to us. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. It causes us to know Christ better and to seek more of Him. Repentance leads to our own healing when we acknowledge it. Resentments does not only make us carry heavier emotional loads but oftentimes would lead us to committing more sin. It is really necessary to go to God for repentance because when we honestly repent our shortcomings, God’s graces will come to us. It is at this point that we can fully experience His love and be able to share it with others.
A touch of God’s love can change everything. For us to be transformed into the person that He really wants us to be, we should commit to follow Him, without turning back. As we receive His love, true healing will begin in our hearts and will be made complete if we continually accept this love – the love that we truly deserve.
Realizing that suffering is inevitable and the Lord’s grace is assured even if we sin, I continue to believe that I am forgiven and always given a chance to also forgive others and understand what they might also be going through. God knows and understands our pain. Indeed, there is no greater love than the love from Him.
