Why is there suffering? Why is there so much pain in God's world?

Those questions haunt me whenever I heard tragic news (man-made or natural), and when I am having difficult times.

Consider these reasons:

1) We can't escape the laws that govern our universe. We need gravity, weather and fire to survive.
2) We are a social race. Our lives are intertwined, so we sometimes suffer when the sin or foolishness of others spreads trouble.

3) Sin brought a curse on the earth and its people.
4) Suffering awakens compassion.

Our response to suffering can either make or break us.

We can describe God's world as a fallen place. But, when we see suffering, we can use it as an opportunity to serve God by helping others, to trust Him in spite of the difficulty, and to grow in our faith in Him. So when trouble hits, let our first reaction be to trust the Lord and care for the needs of others.

On a personal note, I can say that some things we accomplish in life require intense commitment for a short time - and the result has lifelong value.

There is what we call an "exchange of tough times for good results". We could call it the school of hard knocks. There will always be temporary tough times that come into our lives even though we haven't chosen them. Tough times can bring pain and sadness - and they don't seem to promise any good news at all. But, these can have lasting benefit.

We all have experienced being TOXIC. I myself have experienced this in all stages of my life. I tried & tried to make my life work. Of course, I don't want to fail myself. When people see me during the day, I'm so bubbly, always joking around and happy. But at night, I get lonely. I get depressed. I cry. But I have to be a positive person.

But then I belatedly realized, it takes two (or more) to make my life complete. And somewhere between yet another horrible discovery and another bucket of tears, I rediscovered ME.

I think you have to have a good support group of family and friends. Work is good therapy. When you're busy it keeps the mind off things.

Crying is part of healing also. I just let go, I break down, cry, listen to sad songs, I read books and magazines, I talk to girl friends, I get myself drunk, I pray. I pray a lot actually. You have to feel the pain because if you don't feel the pain, one day you'll just break down and cry and you're going to be a mess. So when I get depressed, I really get depressed but I snap out of it.

I realized that if any semblance of me was going to survive, I would have to take charge. I would have to be the boss of me and do what's best for me. Of course, it took some time to get the pieces of me back together again, but i finally did, and now, I am so back!

Now, I'm focusing first on myself - to be healed emotionally; take good care of myself; love myself more; keep myself special.

We should rejoice during our trials, not for the trial itself but for the coming glory and honor, which is permanent.

So whether you're stuck in a bad relationship or a bad job or just a bad day, be the boss of you and take charge!

Real beauty is being at peace with what is given us. It's looking at the world positively and realizing that what we are doing is worthwhile.

Learn more about this author, Michelle Parreno.
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