WHY THIS HELL???

Throughout history people have asked why, if God is both good and all-powerful, He doesn’t intercede to prevent pain and suffering in the world? Is there an answer?

In order to have a better understanding of the same, let’s see the story of the flight of a butterfly.

One day a man found a cocoon of a butterfly. Soon, a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to squeeze its body through the tiny hole. Then it stopped, as if it couldn’t go further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a scissor and snipped off the remaining bits of cocoon. The butterfly emerged easily but it had a swollen body and shriveled wings.

 

The man continued to watch it, expecting that any minute the wings would enlarge and expand enough to support the body, neither happened!

In fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around. It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required by the butterfly to get through the opening was a way of forcing the fluid from the body into the wings so that it would be made perfect and ready for flight once that was achieved.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. Going through life with no obstacles would cripple us. We will not be as strong as we could have been and we would never fly.

The primary point of this article is a reassurance that there are a variety of reasons why we are called upon to endure adversity and suffering. So, when we experience afflictions (be they physical, mental, financial, family struggles, etc) that we feel are unfair, unreasonable, or difficult to understand, it would be a mistake to conclude that God is absent or unloving.

How many people have turned away from belief in God because of suffering?

On the contrary, these sufferings have a valuable place in God’s plan for us and have a higher purpose and actually prove that He loves us. Suffering is used by a loving God to chasten us because of sin, to test our devotion, to humble us, and to provide growth experiences.

He is aware and involved in the details of our lives and all things work for our ultimate good when we trust in him. When we are called upon to suffer afflictions, rather than questioning God, we should turn to Him. He is the ultimate source of comfort, strength, and healing.

Dear friend, If only you could understand this great truth and dwell on it, you will be strengthened to endure every affliction that comes your way and attain perfection - the perfection as God desires in you.

If you feel blessed by this message, feel free to share it with others. Your comments are welcome!