He turns suffering around
Not only is God NOT the the author of suffering, but He intervenes when we suffer. If we allow Him to, He will turn our suffering into something good: either we will grow stronger, or we will learn to appreciate those who help us through, or we will learn to trust Him, or there will be some other benefit.
This is not an easy truth to accept. Sometimes it feels as though the suffering will never end and that nothing good will come of it! But at the heart of our faith is the cross - an instrument of execution and extreme suffering. But the cross is empty - Christ has risen! He knows how to turn the most devastating events (Good Friday) into the most incredible victories (Easter Sunday).
Our inspiration should be the oyster. The oyster experiences suffering when a sharp grain of sand wedges itself into the soft fleshy folds of the oyster's inner flesh. The oyster patiently coats the sand with layer upon layer of milky translucent material and from the problem produces a pearl. The heart of every pearl is a problem that has been turned into something good. God can help us coat our problems with His grace and love to produce something wonderful in us.
| And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans8:28) |
