Tuesday, January 20, 2009

What About Suffering

People are fond of posing the dual questions, "Why is there so much suffering in the world?" and "Why doesn't God do something about it?" Strangely, however we seldom think to ask the deeper and more pertinent questions, "Why is there so little love in human hearts?" and "Why don't we do something about it." For the believer suffering takes on new meaning. Calvin Miller wrote "We glory in knowing that at the core of our best pearls there exists a ragged hurt that once stabbed us with ripping pain. Then God came. His grace 'pearlized' our pain with dependency. Our deep moans gave way to glad hosannas. He transformed our hurt into a beautiful usable ministry (Jeremiah 31:13). 'I will turn their mourning to joy.' This pain is the pouring out of self. Once empty, we are then ready to be filled with something more than ourselves. The emptying is continual. Becoming is indeed hard work. It is the work of being poured out. Fragile trust is stronger than swaggering self-reliance." Suffering can be a means of deeper relationship with God. Crucifixion is God's invitation to resurrection, that our "Joy might be full..." John 15. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

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