My Dearest Sister,
”Life isn’t fair.”
I can’t tell you how many times I heard that phrase said to me when I was growing up. From parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, teachers, you name it. Any time I complained because another kid seemed to have it better than me, any time I got angry because I had to do some boring chore that no one else possibly had to do, and any time I uttered the words “It’s not fair!”, that phrase seemed to be the appropriate response. And as hard of a pill as that is for an eight-year-old to swallow, it’s true. Life really is not fair sometimes. The worst part is, it can be more unfair to some than it is to others. Sure, we will all have suffering and pain, Jesus promised us that (John 16:33). But we each suffer in different ways at different times in our lives. Sometimes we suffer in ways we deserve; We call those consequences. Other times though, we suffer in ways that are so wrongful and unjust that we can’t help but ask the question “Lord… Why?”
The topic of suffering has weighed heavy on my heart this past week. You see, last week an Army wife friend of mine lost her dear husband, a hero and defender of our nation’s freedom. His helicopter was shot down on his first deployment to Afghanistan, just a few short months after graduating flight school. Today, she will stand alongside their family and friends and bury her beloved; today, she will have to say goodbye. And then somehow she will have to continue on in this life. She is now the widow of a fallen soldier and a single mother of two young boys. Her sons will have to grow up without ever really knowing their earthly father; never waving goodbye to him on their first day of school, never playing catch with him in the yard, never being taught by him how to shave; the youngest, who is only eight months old, will never even get to smile up at him with pride as he takes his first steps or says his first words. Though his memory will live on in those who loved him, he has gone to be with Jesus, even if it does seem too soon. It is at times like these that I can only ask, “Lord, why?” Why would God allow so much suffering to come upon this sweet and faithful little family? It just isn’t fair.
I have heard many people say that if God really loved us, He wouldn’t allow suffering and pain to come upon innocent and undeserving people. Maybe you have encountered someone in your life that thinks this way. This concept of wrongful suffering is such a stumbling block to them that they want nothing to do with God whatsoever, believing Him to be this big bully in the sky who just stands by and lets bad things happen to us, who just watches us stumble and fall. Oh, sister, how misled they are! The truth about suffering is that it is just yet another symptom of the disease of sin in this fallen world. Ever since Adam and Eve were banished from the garden, sorrow and hardships have been a regular part of life. All over the world people suffer wrongfully, on a daily basis: Women are beaten. Girls are sold as sex slaves. Children starve. Young husbands and fathers die. This suffering is not always deserved or fair and some will experience more than others, but it is there because of man’s sin, not for a lack of God’s love.
Quite the opposite in fact, for His love provides a treatment for suffering. The Bible says that the Lord tends to the brokenhearted and sorrowful (Psalm 34:18), healing deep wounds that no one else can even touch. Our Mighty Father gives power to the weak, to those who cannot stand in their own strength (Isaiah 40:29). He comforts us in our tribulation so that we may in turn comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). We may not always understand why some endure such wrongful suffering in their life, but the love of Christ that has been freely given to us surpasses all of our understanding (Ephesians 3:19). He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, and oh, how He loves us and wants to make us whole! All we have to do is reach out our arms and let Him lift us up out of our sorrow.
Just as God’s comfort is the treatment for suffering here on earth, Christ’s return is the complete cure. In Revelation 21:4, God promises of a time where suffering will be a thing of the past: “’And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’” Yes dear friend, we will suffer in this world, that much is true; but praise the Lord it is only temporary! There is coming a day when this bitterness will pass away and all things will be new in Christ. My friend will see her husband again, not in this wretched world where suffering abounds, but in a place where we will worship the Risen King in all His glory. No more heartache. No more pain. God himself will wipe away our tears as He welcomes us into His new kingdom. Take heart my sister, for this is our promise and our hope in Him, both now and forevermore!
Your hopeful sister in Christ,
Lauren