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Nobody likes to suffer or feel pain, by definition. But suffering can actually have a purpose, from a Biblical point of view. Unlike Buddhism, where suffering is thought to be caused by desire and therefore all desires must be eliminated, the Christian understanding of suffering encompasses not only one's personal suffering, but suffering of large numbers of people due to circumstances out of their control, like natural disasters.

Most commonly, people suffer individually when they break God's laws, which were given to define the best way to live harmoniously with man and God. The effects of breaking the last six commandments, those regarding people's relationships with each other, can easily be seen. Killing, stealing, lying, etc - these are all widely understood to be harmful things to do. It has been said that one who gives pain to another is at the same time hurting himself.

As an aside, breaking the law against coveting may be the closest analogue to the Buddhist idea of desire causing suffering, for the coveter will suffer, seeing what he wants that he cannot have. On the other hand, desiring something that is for sale, and possessing the means to buy it, and buying it honestly and enjoying it - there is no law against that.

The effects of breaking the first four commandments, those regarding people's relationships with God, are not as obvious, but are no less important. For those who are God's people, putting God first in life, worshiping no other god, honoring his name, and honoring his Sabbath day are all vital pieces of that relationship.

But even following God's way perfectly will not ensure a life free from suffering. The Messiah himself is the highest example of this. Living the perfect life, even so, he suffered a death worse than most people would want to even imagine. In fact, it was because of his perfect life that he had to suffer as the unblemished sacrificial Lamb (1 Peter 1:19).

Following God's laws does not exempt a person from suffering; in fact, it seems to invite it from the one who is the original cause of suffering and death - the devil. (Genesis 3). Christians in most of the developed world have it very easy compared to the early church, or even Christians in many of today's undeveloped countries. For those, persecution and suffering was the rule, not the exception. Today's modern Christians do not understand suffering properly because they actually experience very little of it.

When people suffer, they tend to blame it on God, saying

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