Why does God allow suffering? This is the age-old question of Christians and non-Christians alike, and it's unlikely to be answered to anyone's satisfaction this side of heaven. Even though I'm just an ordinary guy, I'd like to take a stab at it.
I believe I'm like most people. I want to be comfortable, happy and safe. I want to have enough money to pay my bills, to help my kids with college, and to go on a vacation once in a while. I want to be healthy. What's wrong with that? Why wouldn't God want the same things for me? Well, I believe it's because He want much, much more for me!
I've read many books by Dr. Larry Crabb, best-selling author, psychologist, and counselor, and while they are always excellent and insightful, most of the ones I've read have been kind of hard for me to follow, because they're so intellectual. Some of the books he's written are "The Marriage Builder", "Inside Out", and "Finding God".
"Shattered Dreams" is a book by Dr. Crabb that is different than the others. I recently discovered it and found it to be much easier to read than "Finding God", for example. I believe that this is because he experienced what he wrote in this book personally, and that the subject matter was extremely important to him.
Most people believe that joy and happiness are the same thing. If we have material things to make us comfortable such as a big house, a new car, a great job than we'll have joy. Maybe having a loving husband or wife and obedient children is what's necessary. But while those things might make us happy, they don't necessarily lead to joy.
The Bible says that God wants to give good things to his children, even more than we want to give good things to our children. So God obviously wants us to be happy, right? That could be true, and while He does want those things for us, if they get in the way of having relationship with Him then He'll take the relationship every time. That's where we will find true joy.
However, quite often when we have the happiness, we either become content or we get so wrapped up in keeping that happiness intact that we don't see the need to find the time for that relationship with God. It is in these times that God might allow some pain to come into our life to draw us closer to him. It's at these times that many of us tend to do what we can to minimize that pain, basically because it hurts!
Dr. Crabb writes in "Shattered Dreams" that we need to feel that pain, which might include mourning and grieving, to encounter God. It's only in the middle of these tribulations, and when we get through them, that we are able to find the true joy that we seek in our heart and that God wants us to have. While it's not any fun to go through this pain, Larry asserts that this is the only way we will experience true joy. This, I believe, is the reason that God allows suffering and why bad things happen to good people. - 15784
I believe I'm like most people. I want to be comfortable, happy and safe. I want to have enough money to pay my bills, to help my kids with college, and to go on a vacation once in a while. I want to be healthy. What's wrong with that? Why wouldn't God want the same things for me? Well, I believe it's because He want much, much more for me!
I've read many books by Dr. Larry Crabb, best-selling author, psychologist, and counselor, and while they are always excellent and insightful, most of the ones I've read have been kind of hard for me to follow, because they're so intellectual. Some of the books he's written are "The Marriage Builder", "Inside Out", and "Finding God".
"Shattered Dreams" is a book by Dr. Crabb that is different than the others. I recently discovered it and found it to be much easier to read than "Finding God", for example. I believe that this is because he experienced what he wrote in this book personally, and that the subject matter was extremely important to him.
Most people believe that joy and happiness are the same thing. If we have material things to make us comfortable such as a big house, a new car, a great job than we'll have joy. Maybe having a loving husband or wife and obedient children is what's necessary. But while those things might make us happy, they don't necessarily lead to joy.
The Bible says that God wants to give good things to his children, even more than we want to give good things to our children. So God obviously wants us to be happy, right? That could be true, and while He does want those things for us, if they get in the way of having relationship with Him then He'll take the relationship every time. That's where we will find true joy.
However, quite often when we have the happiness, we either become content or we get so wrapped up in keeping that happiness intact that we don't see the need to find the time for that relationship with God. It is in these times that God might allow some pain to come into our life to draw us closer to him. It's at these times that many of us tend to do what we can to minimize that pain, basically because it hurts!
Dr. Crabb writes in "Shattered Dreams" that we need to feel that pain, which might include mourning and grieving, to encounter God. It's only in the middle of these tribulations, and when we get through them, that we are able to find the true joy that we seek in our heart and that God wants us to have. While it's not any fun to go through this pain, Larry asserts that this is the only way we will experience true joy. This, I believe, is the reason that God allows suffering and why bad things happen to good people. - 15784
About the Author:
Matt Hellstrom is a husband and dad to five wonderful adopted children. Check out some tips for effective parenting skills that Matt and Julie have learned in the last 15 years. You can also read his opinion about why God allows suffering.