Why does God allow suffering? (Art)
Why suffering is allowed is something i tried to understand more clearly today instead of just circling it
The teaching itself is actually direct when it’s explained properly. God does not create evil. when people do something wrong, that comes from them choosing it, not from Him. that part is simple, even if it’s hard to accept sometimes
then there’s the other part, that the world itself isn’t how it was meant to be. original sin is what it’s called. not just one moment, but something that affected everything after it. so things don’t hold together the way they should, illness exists, things break down, things happen without a clear reason. so suffering comes from both, from people and from the state the world is already in
that explains where it comes from, but not why it’s allowed to continue
the answer given is that God permits it, but does not will it as evil, and that He can bring something out of it even when it isn’t good in itself. the example that always comes back is Christ. the crucifixion wasn’t good, it was unjust and violent, something done by people, and still it became the center of everything after. so something wrong didn’t stay pointless
it shows up in other places too. Job loses everything and doesn’t get a clear explanation while it’s happening. Joseph is betrayed and it still leads somewhere later. it doesn’t undo what happened to them, it just means it wasn’t empty in the end
there’s also the part about offering suffering, that it can be joined to Christ instead of just staying what it is, that it can have meaning depending on how it’s carried. i understand that in theory, i just don’t fully understand how to do that properly yet
because when it actually happens it doesn’t feel like something that can become anything, it just feels like it’s there and not stopping
and i don’t really have control over most of it. i can’t stop what people choose to do, and i can’t stop things that come from the world itself. so the only part left is how i respond to it, and that’s where meaning is supposed to be
i think i understand that, i just wish it was more visible. i know i’m changing in some ways, i’m more controlled than i used to be, but it isn’t something i can clearly point to. there’s no moment where it becomes obvious that something good came from it
and i think that’s the part that makes it harder, because if it’s going to keep happening i wish i could at least know for certain that it’s doing something good for me when it's finally over.
not just be told that it is, but actually see it
even a little
i think that would make it easier to accept
but maybe it’s not meant to be clear like that,
i don’t know for sure.
i just know that if it’s allowed then it has to lead somewhere, even if i don’t see where yet.