Christians and anyone else wishing to answer , do you believe that suffering has merit?

Question

Let me explain;
I believe that suffering has merit as it shapes and forms us and others. Much as a diamond is formed by years of pressure and heat. It is made from a lump of coal into a rough diamond. Which in turn is formed into a beautiful work of art. This is what I believe this does to our souls.

No Ana you are correct we are not to bring this suffering on ourselves but to accept it when it comes.

God does not cause suffering but "He lets happen to us what must for our own good and for His greater glory."

Answer 1

The Testing of Our Commitment
Hebrews 11:8-19
In the “stretch” times of life, when God is testing us, He will teach us new and deeper truths about Himself, His purposes, and His promises. The difficulties are often painful, but they are always designed to be beneficial.
From a human perspective, times of testing can be baffling because we don’t understand how anything good could result. Consider God’s command that Abraham sacrifice his long-awaited son Isaac. Abraham’s earthly viewpoint could have regarded this order as:

• Unreasonable—”God, I cherish my son above all else. How could You ask this of me?”

• Untimely—”Why now, Lord? My son is still young. He is the one through whom my descendants are to come.”

• Unfair—”It’s not right that You ask me this. Haven’t I left home and friends to follow You?”

• Unbearable— “This is too hard for me. I cannot take this pain.”

Abraham rejected that kind of thinking. Instead, he trusted God and refused to turn away. The trial revealed Abraham’s unshakable commitment to the Lord’s plan.
Knowing which circumstances will help us grow, our Father asks us to exercise faith and choose His way. Recalling His unending love and wholehearted commitment to His children will help us do this. Be assured that God makes no mistakes in His dealings with us.
Imagine Abraham’s joy when the Lord provided a ram as a sacrifice in Isaac’s place. We will receive the same reward of spiritual joy when we remain steadfast. Won’t you respond to times of testing as Abraham did—by trusting and obeying God?

Victory in the Battles Of Life
1 Samuel 17
The battles of life often seem overwhelming, leaving you with feelings of hopelessness and despair. It is reassuring at these times to read the account of David’s victory over Goliath to understand that nothing is too big for God.
David was a teenager who already was steeped in the ways of the Lord because of the many nights he invested intimately seeking God while shepherding sheep. David’s willing, obedient servant’s attitude positioned him for the victory that would catapult him into greatness: his father wanted him to run an errand and take supplies to the battlefield, and David obeyed.
But, when David least expected it, God opened a monumental door for him. Notice how David responded in 1 Samuel 17:45-47. He not only felt compelled to fight for what he knew was right but was eager. He made a positive faith confession in the face of daunting odds, and he affirmed the proper motivation.
Finally, David responded as we all should in our Goliath life struggles. He relied on the power of God and not on his own strength. What is the famous line that echoes from this story? The battle is the Lord’s. . . .
Remember how it all started. David had invested countless hours in intimacy with the Lord. His inexhaustible faith and trust in the Lord came because the battle had long previously been fought—on his knees.

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Answer 2

to go and seek suffering and embrace it has no merit. what does have merit and meaning is how we deal with suffering when we encounter it. just for an everyday example, your going to work or school, maybe a big meeting or take a final, you get stuck in traffic and now your going to be late. you can rage and be angry and arrive in a state of mind that will cause failure. on the other hand you could adapt to the situation and make a plan on the best way to use what time you have left. now this kind of suffering has merit and you get your diamond. however , if you seek out a traffic jam andbecome part of it, that has no purpose or merit. you still have your lump of coal

Answer 3

yes.
Fire: burns
Water: drowns
Earth: buries
Air: blows.

This is what suffering has taught me.
Also, many more human lessons.
Each a lesson unto itself, as there are facets to a cut diamond.

everyone has a cross to bear, some burden for which they need help. Some crosses are light, like plastic. Others, incredibly heavy.

Also: suffering of someone without reason makes me wonder. For instance, a child surviving a horrific accident, leaving him/her in a wheelchair for life. there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. Suffering that makes you stronger. Suffering that brings you closer to God, yes. That is the only reason for suffering. And it is all around us. Do we go meet it? Eventually it will meet us.

I don't think we will fully appreciate its merit until the end.

Answer 4

Yes, in a sense that might be true. But on occasion, one runs into a lovely Christian person, who loves our God and believes wholeheartedly in the Word of God....but hasn't had a lick of suffering in their life. Along this line of thinking, is their soul done, or does God care less for this one or that one who suffers differently.

What do we say of those people? I believe that suffering, disease, misfortune are results of sin and the ways of this place that is not our home. God does not cause it, but he can certainly use these lessons to teach us things, patience, kindness, etc.

The dilemma is this: If a Christian person has a lovely family, a good job, nice home, wonderful outlook and is happy happy happy. We might hear him say, I have been truly blessed.

But what do we Christians say about the Christian person who seems to exist in a series of misfortunes. The layoff, the house that needs work but there is no money, then their child becomes ill. Do we then say that yes person #1 is blessed but #2 is not? I know too many wonderful Christian people who fit into catagory two.

It is a hard dilemma for a Christian. The resulting answer must be that this world, which is not our home has problems and we are subject to them. We may have few, or many - but regardless, God stays by our side whatever our fortune here on earth. And he does not cause the problems but allows us to learn from and reap earthly rewards from our good fortune.

Thank goodness, he never gives up on us, regardless of our earthly lot.

Answer 5

I wish people would stop confusing God with suffering. God does not want you too suffer, not at all. The suffering part is brought in by man. People have to separate the natural workings of the body from the will of God. If you are suffering from a natural or unnatural illness that doesn't mean that its Gods fault. People get sick because that's the way it is. Gods province is the soul and the spirit. If you are suffering in the spirit then it is your fault not Gods. The reasons for this might be your inability too give up material things or understand that bad things happen naturally. God doesn't rule our lives, give us deceases, or make bad things happen to us just so we can prove ourselves to him he merely watches and waits too see how we deal with it. Stop spreading all this "I have to suffer for God nonsense." No one has to suffer for God. The suffering comes from within us not from God!

Answer 6

Ya know Debra, I've seen so much suffering in my life, I'm not
sure, how I feel about that question. When you see the families and what they go through, you wonder why does this have to happen? I guess it does make you stronger to experience this,
but just how much does a person have to go through? I know there is a heaven, because of having to endure a person's death, is the hardest thing a person will have to ever experience. And at the end, is the beginning.

Answer 7

Three months after you are dead you will be largely forgotten. Is it worth the pain. NO! Nothing that happens to our bodies can possibly shape our 'soul' to any extent whatsoever. Our body is pure animal, pure mammal. Feeling hurt because, say, your mother died is silly because you 'know' that she is going to be in heaven anyway... right? So, which suffering would be worse, being hit by a bus or watching your baby being crushed by a bus?? Which would make you into the clearest diamond???

Answer 8

According to the bible it certainly does. But I think it is more like when you suffer for God's or good's sake. Suffering for the cause of good or innocence ( the way Jesus did for us without any contempt )is what I would think God's glory would be. Holding onto what is good & honorable is the only thing in life to accomplish really. But that is His court - His rules.:o]

Answer 9

That which does not kill you only serves to make you stronger. Every time I have had a bad experience in my life that left me confused, the reason was later revealed when I got to the experience I was meant to have. It gives you an appreciation for the good when you have to deal with the bad. And God wants us to pure like gold but gold must be purified in the fire to remove the impurities.

Answer 10

I would like to believe so. My faith teaches that it is a way to cleanse me of past wrongs and move me toward an existence with no suffering. However, it is hard to see that far in the distance.

Letting go of attachments to worldy things helps to end suffering. Of course, this is easier said than done.

Answer 11

Trials and adversity do exactly what you described. But that is not the nature of suffering however. Suffering in this world (in general) is a result of sin entering it and corrupting it. If we hadnt been corrupted by sin, this world would be great and there wouldnt be any suffering at all.

Nobody would suggest things like abortions, kids dying of AIDS, starvation, cancer, torture and death are really great things that help you grow. In fact they destroy humanity and are one of the many curses we face as a result of sin.