A side note...

I was just re-reading an email I wrote to a friend a couple of years ago, where we were talking about humans and suffering and why God allows it.  I am not sure why, but I felt like I should include it on here.

Suffering... Here's how I see it (and there are whole books written on this topic, so this is just the basic version according to Marianne!)... You know, we as parents, I think can understand this better than anybody else. We let our kids do things that we know might allow them to get hurt. We let them get on a bike and start pedaling, because we know it's a good skill for them to have. But we also know that they might fall off, skin their knees, or even bump their heads. And yet we still allow them to get on those bikes and do it again and again. And when they get hurt, we give them all the tender, loving care that we can.

As kids get older, we allow them more freedom. Freedom to go hang out with their friends or drive themselves somewhere. And there again, is more opportunity for them to get hurt. But would we choose to lock them up in our houses all the time, so that they don't have an opportunity for something to happen to them? Most of us wouldn't do that! And with their freedom, they can start making choices, and probably even bad choices. They can start getting into trouble, and their trouble might cause them hurt -- emotional and physical. As parents, we can love them and direct them. We can offer them advice, and when needed, intervene to bring them back the right way.

Well, all this is to say that this is my understanding of God as a Father. He doesn't want to "lock us up" so that we won't get hurt. And He doesn't want to take away our freedom so that we won't hurt ourselves with bad choices. And He allows things to happen to us so that we can come closer to Him for help.

When I was 13, doctors told me that I had a 90% chance of having cancer. They did CAT scans, and found out that it was growing. I cried and spend most of my time alone... And I know that God's heart was breaking more than mine. (Boy, do I know my heart break if I knew Adrianna was dealing with cancer at 13. And God is such a better parent than I am!) He drew me to Himself in such ways that I have never known. He used that time to teach me about faith in Him, and His ability to guide my life. And He also chose to heal me (I have no idea why, but I'm glad!!). When I had a biopsy, it came back benign. No explanation, no idea why something that seemed to be growing was okay. But I know what God can do. 

And He allows us to grow through trying times, just like we allow our kids to. He knows that during those times, we'll come closer to Him than when things are going our way.

James even says it this way, "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" (James 1:2-4).