Enough: God, Suffering, and Christianity
One sign of the fallen world we live in is sin and the resultant suffering that accompanies brokenness. Suffering can vary from physical ailments to emotional or spiritual afflictions to compassion for others walking through trial; until Jesus’ second coming, we will inevitably face suffering of all kinds. However, we find hope and courage in the life of Jesus Christ, and that is enough to endure.
I suffer from headaches. In early February 2014 I experienced my first headache and was not relieved until late March. After that, the headaches were less intense and came on only a few days each week rather than every day. Presently, my headaches come on in spurts that last from five days to two weeks, about once a month. However, I would not consider the headaches alone to be suffering; I have come to accept them as a way of life. Rather, it is the emotional and spiritual stretching in combination with my physical pain that collectively turn this experience into a state of suffering. In the beginning, I was denied every comfort. I was stuck in a foreign country away from my mom, I did not know the language and was completely dependent on translators, and I was unable to experience the comfort of academic achievement as I could barely complete assignments on time. I was stripped of everything I knew as safe and comfortable and instead forced to rely on God as enough.
Keller (2008) writes that some individuals may “look back on an illness and recognize that it was an irreplaceable season of personal and spiritual growth for them” (pp. 24-25). As hard as it can be to admit this as truth, Keller makes a strong point that God has a divine plan far greater and infinitely better than anything we can imagine. As awful as my headaches are, I learn something every time. During the initial bout, I began to immerse myself in scriptures about God—His love, His provision, His grace. John 9 tells of a blind man who was assumed to be afflicted because of either his sins or those of his parents. Jesus reversed this cultural notion when he claims, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned … but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3, New International Version). Similarly, Paul writes about an affliction and then reports how God refused to relieve him of his sufferings, saying instead, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). These two passages show the grandeur of God’s design and intimacy with us in times of suffering.
Keller (2008) writes that if we embrace the doctrine of Jesus’ death and resurrection as atonement for all of our sins, “then we have deep consolation and strength to face the brutal realities of life on earth. We can know that God is truly Immanuel—God with us—even in our worst sufferings” (p. 31). Further, Jesus used intimate language while hanging on the cross (p. 30); he was about to be infinitely separated from God the Father as he died and bore the wrath of all sins for all humanity across all time, yet he still cried out “Abba [Daddy], Father” (Mark 14:36). God himself has experienced every kind of human suffering—death included—and thus could not be closer to us in our deepest darkest times of despair. These times are particularly helpful in restoring union between children and the Father.
However, I do not believe that God will actively induce suffering on the ones He loves who are faithfully serving Him. Rather, God filters everything through His hand of love and occasionally allows Satan to test us to prove our faithfulness and shape us to be more Christlike. In the story of Job, it is evident that God had a plan the entire time. Job was a faithful man, yet he was still able learn through his suffering that he had a minuscule amount of knowledge about divine happenings and never actually cursed God as Satan had anticipated.
As seen in Job’s story, God will allow people to suffer in the way that will best bring Him glory. Not everyone would handle daily headaches the same way I do, and not everyone needs to lose mental functioning in order to draw closer to God. Over the last year, I was awakened to my constant need for God and would cry out daily, sometimes begging for the strength to make it through the hours. I learned to lighten up on myself, to cease demanding perfection, and to stop striving. God’s grace will get me by, and that is enough.
Keller (2008) writes that many “people have to admit most of what they really needed for success in life came to them through their most difficult and painful experiences” (p. 24). Warren (2002) expresses similar sentiments in relation to ministry when he writes:
“Other people are going to find healing in your wounds. Your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts. The things you’re most embarrassed about, most ashamed of, and most reluctant to share are the very tools God can use to most powerfully heal others.”
- Timothy Keller, p. 275
Ultimately, we have hope of healing through Christ (Keller, 2008, p. 28). Our bodies may never be restored during our time on earth, but God will, without fail, work emotionally and spiritually to restore our hearts and minds in Him. C. S. Lewis (1946) reminds us “that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn … agony into glory” (p. 64). In our times of suffering, God is enough.
References
Keller, T. (2008). The reason for God: Belief in an age of skepticism. New York, NY: Riverbed Books.
Lewis, C. S. (1946). The great divorce. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Warren, R. (2002). The purpose driven life: What on earth am I here for? Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
