Been contemplating suffering lately.

[Jesse Dornfeld]

I've been contemplating suffering lately. Its come up multiple times.

I heard about some real atrocities and even when there is hope at the end, it's still a tough pill to swallow. Why do bad things happen to otherwise righteous people? After hearing some stories I was brought to tears and I wasn't even the one going through it. It makes me reflect on my own sinful nature - stupid things I've done in the past and who I might have hurt in the process. When I come to grips with the fact I haven't always been the most loving person ever, I can't help but just feeling such sorrow for my sin. Still, it makes me grateful that I am forgiven. The natural question I ask is, "Why me? Why did you choose to forgive even me?"

Thoughts?

 

[Gregory Thompson]

I've been contemplating suffering lately. It's come up multiple times.

I heard about some real atrocities and even when there is hope at the end, it's still a tough pill to swallow. Why do bad things happen to otherwise righteous people? After hearing some stories I was brought to tears and I wasn't even the one going through it. It makes me reflect on my own sinful nature - stupid things I've done in the past and who I might have hurt in the process. When I come to grips with the fact I haven't always been the most loving person ever, I can't help but just feeling such sorrow for my sin. Still, it makes me grateful that I am forgiven. The natural question I ask is, "Why me? Why did you choose to forgive even me?"

Thoughts?

Over a decade ago I started experiencing the reverse end of people's thoughts and emotions as if they were inside of me. It resulted in a lot of melodrama and suffering on my part, I don't think there is a why - it just happened. I can totally see how it's related to Christlikeness, how God works through it, how only God could be glorified through it since there's no evidence that it's happening .. so you know - there's good in it, but .

 

[Pavel Mosko]

The natural question I ask is, "Why me? Why did you choose to forgive even me?"

I believe this sort of thing can often be a part of one's calling. This has been something I have looked into a lot myself, but more in terms of things like career failure and such. I have been helped by some things like this article/speech by Willian Lane Craig...

Failure | Reasonable Faith

 

[Jesse Dornfeld]

I believe this sort of thing can often be a part of one's calling. This has been something I have looked into a lot myself, but more in terms of things like career failure and such. I have been helped by some things like this article/speech by Willian Lane Craig...

Failure | Reasonable Faith

I enjoyed the article. The Youtube video didn't work.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

I enjoyed the article. The Youtube video didn't work.

It's the same presentation only one is in print vs. him giving the speech as a Commencement address at some Christian college.

But here is another one on my hit parade that I give out a lot....

 

[Aussie Pete]

I've been contemplating suffering lately. Its come up multiple times.

I heard about some real atrocities and even when there is hope at the end, it's still a tough pill to swallow. Why do bad things happen to otherwise righteous people? After hearing some stories I was brought to tears and I wasn't even the one going through it. It makes me reflect on my own sinful nature - stupid things I've done in the past and who I might have hurt in the process. When I come to grips with the fact I haven't always been the most loving person ever, I can't help but just feeling such sorrow for my sin. Still, it makes me grateful that I am forgiven. The natural question I ask is, "Why me? Why did you choose to forgive even me?"

Thoughts?

God is love. Every single human ever born, alive now or who will live in the future is forgiven. Not all those people accept God's love, so they remain dead in sin. God does not welcome dead people into His kingdom.

It's good to appreciate God's love for us. It helps us to understand the not so loveable and keeps our own failings in perspective. I don't know why some receive Christ and others do not. I do know that I was desperate, disillusioned with life and very ill. God heard my near imperceptible cry for help and had someone in place who could and did lead me to Christ. I am most unworthy and most in need. My desire is for others to find the same help and same forgiveness. Not many are willing to receive.

 

[Tigger45]

Life makes a lot more sense when viewed through the lens of the theology of the cross vs the theology of glory.

 

[Fervent]

Your finishing question is an interesting one, and the true answer to why suffering occurs lies somewhere in the struggle. Somewhere in wrestling with the evil of the world we are shorn and refined, suffering acts like a refiner's fire. We can't always see what the point of it is...why it's occuring whether for our benefit or another's, so we must wrestle with it. Contend with it and seek God for the answer, occassionally finding sustenance but never being satisfied. The only thing we must not do is use it as an excuse to condemn God's justice, or allow ourselves to question His goodness on our perspective. A surgeon causes much harm in surgery, but it is for the purpose of healing. In the same way, God uses suffering to heal us from the disease of sin.

 

[Rescued One]

... "Why me? Why did you choose to forgive even me?"

Thoughts?

Amen!
Life is very hard! But life without God is worse than anything.

Today I thought of Job, and his example gives me resolve. I have trouble knowing how to repair relationships. I have trouble in connecting with strangers.

But I pray for people and try to be helpful. Sometimes I realize I wasn't helpful. When I realize that, I regret it for years. For instance, I sometimes gave advice at the grocery store and found out later that it was the wrong advice. I don't like for people to act like I don't know what I'm talking about so I just want to tape my mouth shut.

 

[com7fy8]

It makes me reflect on my own sinful nature - stupid things I've done in the past and who I might have hurt in the process.

In order to deal with suffering in a beneficial way, I understand I need to see how I myself can be wrong. Because with God correcting me, I am more ready for any suffering He knows I will go through.

So, I would say if you can now see how you have been wrong in the past, this can be good . . . so we seek how God has us doing better, and this will also help us be ready to handle suffering well. If you have morphed from hurting people, to now caring about how others suffer . . . this is very special . . . to be able to feel for others.

So, thank You, God!

 

[com7fy8]

When I come to grips with the fact I haven't always been the most loving person ever, I can't help but just feeling such sorrow for my sin. Still, it makes me grateful that I am forgiven. The natural question I ask is, "Why me? Why did you choose to forgive even me?"

I ask this.

But . . . how God is with us is . . . our example of how He will have us also loving undeserving people, and having hope for any person, at all . . . like how Jesus so suffered and died with hope for any evil person, at all > love "hopes all things" (in 1 Corinthians 13:7)

 

[Soyeong]

I've been contemplating suffering lately. Its come up multiple times.

I heard about some real atrocities and even when there is hope at the end, it's still a tough pill to swallow. Why do bad things happen to otherwise righteous people? After hearing some stories I was brought to tears and I wasn't even the one going through it. It makes me reflect on my own sinful nature - stupid things I've done in the past and who I might have hurt in the process. When I come to grips with the fact I haven't always been the most loving person ever, I can't help but just feeling such sorrow for my sin. Still, it makes me grateful that I am forgiven. The natural question I ask is, "Why me? Why did you choose to forgive even me?"

Thoughts?

If there was a pill that you could swallow that would permanently remove your ability to feel physical pain, then would you swallow it?

 

[aiki]

I've been contemplating suffering lately. Its come up multiple times.

I heard about some real atrocities and even when there is hope at the end, it's still a tough pill to swallow. Why do bad things happen to otherwise righteous people? After hearing some stories I was brought to tears and I wasn't even the one going through it. It makes me reflect on my own sinful nature - stupid things I've done in the past and who I might have hurt in the process. When I come to grips with the fact I haven't always been the most loving person ever, I can't help but just feeling such sorrow for my sin. Still, it makes me grateful that I am forgiven. The natural question I ask is, "Why me? Why did you choose to forgive even me?"

Thoughts?

Hasn't God forgiven any and all who come to Him in genuine repentance and confession of their sin, trusting in Christ as their Saviour and Lord?

2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

John 10:9
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

1 Timothy 2:3-4
3 ...God our Saviour;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

As to the matter of your sin, well, I like what Paul the apostle wrote:

Romans 5:20
20 ...But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.

The question of "Why me?" assumes there is something in you that could merit God's mercy and grace. But God loves us because of who He is, not because of who we are. This is why John wrote that God "so loved the World," not just a select few in it.