| Suffering Is Helpful |
Suffering Is Harmful |
|---|
| When we turn to God for understanding, endurance, and
deliverance | When we become hardened and reject God |
| When we ask important questions we might not otherwise take time to think about in our normal routine | When we refuse to ask any questions and miss any lessons that might be good for us |
| When we are prepared by it to identify with and comfort others who suffer | When we allow it to make us self-centered and selfish |
| When we are open to be helped by others who are obeying God | When we withdraw from the help others can give |
| When we are ready to learn from a trustworthy God | When we reject the fact that God can bring good out of calamity |
| When we realize we can identify with what Christ suffered on the cross for us |
When we accuse God of being unjust and perhaps lead others to reject Him |
| When we are sensitized to the amount of suffering in the world | When we refuse to be open to any changes in our lives |
| Questions |
Our Response |
|---|
| Am I being punished by God for sin? | Confess known sin. |
| Is Satan attacking me as I try to survive as a Christian? | Call on God for strength. |
| Am I being prepared for a special service, learning to be compassionate to those who suffer? | Resist self-pity. Ask God to open up doors of opportunity and help you discover others who suffer as you do. |
| Am I specifically selected for testing, like Job? | Accept help from the body of believers. Trust God to work His purpose through you. |
| Is my suffering a result of natural consequences, for which I am not directly responsible? | Recognize that in a sinful world people will suffer. But the good person has a promise from God that his suffering will one day come to an end. |
| Is my suffering due to some unknown reason? | Do not draw inward from the pain. Proclaim your faith in God, knowing that He cares, and wait patiently for His aid. |
