BIG HONEST QUESTIONS

The other day a friend asked me a few questions. I thought the questions were intensely honest, they came from the heart. We are all philosophers, we all ask hard questions. This is the joy and curse of being human, we ask, we ask, we ponder, and we ponder some more. Some have crispy answers, some are just plain hard questions.

I believe that the growth is in the struggle. God wants to meet us in the pain and walk with us. I also do not want to gloss over an answer on this problem of pain and suffering. These kinds of questions are not easy, but I believe the dialogue can provide us a pathway to the Lord- to feel His nearness and wrestle through the good and the bad. But to experience our good God, like we have never imagined, we must dive into the mess. It is required that we get dirty and get down in the brokenness of it. Let’s jump in together.

The question

I do not understand why you are suffering and have this horrible illness. You have served God your whole life, why do you deserve this? Why does he make you suffer?

Here is my response

This question is a good one, let me make it even broader. Why is there suffering at all? Why do people who love God suffer? Why do seemingly good people suffer? I’m not totally sure the answer to this but to accept that the world is broken. The brokenness of this place is clear. Our world in unmistakably messed up! How did it get this way? Mankind has used their choice to go do evil and disregard the good God.

We do not live in the Garden of Eden anymore. Sin has stained it. Selfishness. Rebelliousness. Greed. All those flooded in when Adam disobeyed. That’s a bit simplistic. But….We do have a loving God who plays by the same rules. Our Gospel states that He enters into our dark, broken world, and endures the pain and suffering it delivers. Of course comfort and pain-free experiences are nice, they are our preference. But pain is, and always will be, our teacher. Our pain and sin show us a need for a savior. We cannot fix our own mess. That is our good news. Even though there is pain and sin- there is a savior who has come into the pain. Jesus comes to endure the sting and pain of death and injustice and wipe it out for good!

The question of deserving? 

What do we deserve? Our actions probably make us deserve punishment. I’m not saying our pain and suffering is punishment, but the idea of what a human truly deserves is a great question.

Do we deserve God’s rescue even though we abandoned him and rebelled?

What do I think I deserve?

My self perception, in light of following Jesus these last 38 years, says this...

“I am only an unworthy servant!” (Like the one in Luke 15 in the Bible)

I am positive God loves us. I am positive he is all powerful. I am not sure why we have to suffer but I am positive that suffering is the path to growth and beauty. Jesus did that path and he invites us to join him on it.

It has felt to me that he has invited me to fellowship with him in the suffering.  Look at Philippians 3:10. He has invited me to this special table of fellowship. They are hard times but they are good times!

When I say we are “unworthy sinners,” I am not saying we are worthless. I am not saying God hates us. I am not saying we are junk. I am saying our rebellious behavior is way bigger than any of us could imagine, we are corrupted. Yet God still loves us (see Romans 5:8)

How can it be that the Lord would love the rebellious? He does. The Gospel tells us Jesus came for the unrighteous, to bring us to God.

The rebel is offered mercy, but he deserves judgement.

My honest response is to, loudly and frequently, say Thank You! Thank you that you love me at all. Thank you that I am not alone in this grief and pain.

Pain is one of the main ingredients in our lives that the Lord uses to form us. It is a great teacher and Jesus will transform us into new creations through it!

Can we all keep thinking and trying to have a soft heart to God’s response to this excellent question?