I have recently been thinking on a new dynamic that applies to my testimony, which will be a new chapter to my book. The topic revolves around the question of "why". I know I have asked this question many times when I was in the midst of my suffering.I asked the question of "why did this happen to me God?" It took me about a year before I came to the realization that God was using the trying time I was in to mold me and shape me into becoming the man of God He wanted me to become. He had a master plan, and in order for me to arrive at the goal of His plan, I needed to and still need to suffer a little bit. I think this is a topic many of us can relate to at some level.
You may not be looking up at God and asking the exact question I asked; "Why did you allow this to happen, God?"
You may be asking yourself why a certain family member has to suffer or had to die. You may be asking God why did your husband/wife leave you. You may be asking why You had to be born with a defect like the way you are. You may even be asking why you were allowed to develop a disease which means a much shorter lifespan. The list goes on of the hard questions of "why" we face in life.
To be honest, we all are going to encounter some type of suffering in this life.If your not going through suffering right now, or you haven't been through a trying time in your life when you suffered greatly, then you probably are heading into some type of storm.
I'm not 100% sure of why God allows His children to suffer, but I do know that in my own life and in the lives of those heros in the Bible and other great Christian heros, suffering always is used to mold the person into someone with much more character than he/she ever had before the ordeal.
I know in my own life, my 8 years of intense therapy and the road to recovery that I am still on has caused me to develop a much stronger character and appreciation for the life God gave me.
I see life from a new and broader perspective now that I did not have before my almost fatal accident. God has blessed me with amazing friends.
Look at Job's life; he lost everything, including his family, house, much of his wealth, and a large part of his health. Yet God restored everything he had lost, but to a much greater degreee than what he previously had. Look at Joseph in the Bible. He lost much of what he held dear, but God restored everything back and gave him authority over his family and much of Egypt.
God has done much the same with me. I have been blessed beyond measure with so many resources and friends and opportunities.
The key to overcoming suffering is to not let your suffering cause you to grow bitter towards others and even to God. God is using your trial to mold you into the person he wants you to become.
