“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.” Psalm 18:16,17

Life is unpredictable. We never know what will come: an easy, comfortable day, or one with an accident, sickness or disturbing news.

Our culture teaches us that comfort is of the highest value, and that anything that disturbs our comfort is bad.

Not so in Scripture. What is truly bad is what harms us spiritually, not what makes us uncomfortable.

What disturbs our comfort may be the most helpful thing in our lives for growth and deepening.

The question each of us must face is: what is my theology of suffering? The following is an example of this.

It was written by a 16-year-old girl, who grew up in the Middle East, struggling to adjust to a new culture (America),

where she experienced loneliness and Christian acquaintances who aren’t interested in spiritual things.

She wrote, “I think that God allows difficulty and suffering into our lives to teach us about Him and strengthen our faith and our trust in Him.

If we never faced suffering, it would be hard for us to see the depth of His love and appreciate how beautiful He truly is—just like we don’t truly appreciate the light until we see darkness.

“It also teaches us that contentment isn’t based on circumstances. If I were happy and cheerful all the time because nothing ever went wrong for me,

I would never learn the true meaning of being thankful. Nor would my worship and praise be as sincere

.

“Going through trials helps us, even forces us to grow. Through my loneliness, I have learned more and more what a wonderful friend I have in Jesus.”

Lots of wisdom from such a young girl. What about us? What’s your philosophy  and theology  of suffering?

Picture: no runner can excel without painful practice: