A subject I encounter endlessly within my theological study is the problem of suffering. It is a recurring cycle, which will no doubt come up in any model of theology. One can approach the issue from a plethora of ways, but most notably the biggest criticism of theodicy is why an omnibenevolent being would allow suffering to occur in the first instance. As much as we can debate the issue until we turn blue in the face, we'll never come to an adequate answer because we cannot second guess the nature of God. And that's no cop out to the problem of evil - I just think the place for debate is not to do with the nature of evil or why God permits it - there's obviously a greater reason beyond our comprehension - but the place for debate is our attitude towards such evil; and my argument within this post is that we can find positive meaning in suffering.
I think it is important to find meaning in suffering. We live in a culture very much focused on blame. If something goes wrong, we immediately start pointing fingers, and we're often reluctant to take responsibility for fear of the consequences. As such, in terms of suffering on the grander scale, the person we point the finger at is generally God. And one might say - why not? He created us with free will, he knew we would sin, he knew we would suffer - it's surely his fault? And to that I would say this is a complete misunderstanding of the intrinsic love of God. Yes, perhaps he did create us with free will, and due to his omniscience he knew we would commit sin before it happened, but that said, he had to allow the events to play out. One here might say that it is a masochistic God who allows his creatures to sin and thus damn themselves. However, I think the very fact he granted us free will meant he had to give us the capacity to choose and as such he had to let the events play out, regardless of how much he might not have wanted it to go that way. And of course, it was the intrinsic love of God that brought about his will for the salvation of humankind through the Cross (but that's another blog post!)
It's easy when things go wrong for humans to point the finger at God and claim it's all his fault. But I think this is a weakness on our part, not on God's, and I also think it undermines our experience of suffering. The very fact that we have come up against a test of suffering means we have to overcome it and build up our faith and come out stronger on the other side. Suffering doesn't have to mean an automatic loss of faith. It can lead to that, but suffering can also lead to a deeper grounding and understanding of faith if engaged with in the right attitude.
I am in no way underestimating the difficulty of coping with suffering - suffering is a very individual experience and the extent of suffering is of course subjective. I am also not equating the suffering of a scraped knee to the suffering endured in the Holocaust. My purpose here is not to undermine suffering itself, but to undermine our contemporary attitude towards suffering and promote a different way in which we can accept and confront suffering in a healthy way.
I think that if one despairs in their suffering it becomes purposeless and as such cannot be an experience to learn from. However, if one considers their sufferings in the light of the grand experience of the world, in relation to others and in relation to their own value and relationship with God, I think suffering can find a great meaning within their life, and can perhaps even be incorporated within their belief system. Suffering can either make or break you - I think you can either be of a person who can cope adequately with experiences of hardship, and you can despair in your sufferings and fall apart. I hope you would strive to be the former.
Suffering deliberately has negative consequences - of course nobody would choose suffering over happiness. However, what I think is missing within our society is the ability to cope with suffering. Rather than deal with the situation and work methodically through difficulties, we tend to either run away from our problems or just brush them under the carpet. And with that comes the whole issue of unresolved problems, which can affect our future jobs, relationships and friendships. We must not run away from suffering - though it is a negative thing; it can be turned into a positive thing with the right mindset.
What I mean is: humanity requires a method of dealing problems in a way that logically and emotionally stabilising, whether this is done through an individual's own accord, or most likely with the help of others. I am the first person to say that I will often deny help until I am absolutely in dire need of requiring it. I'm quite proud in the sense that I believe I have the potential to sort everything out myself - and this is a flaw in my character which is to my detriment when I realise that I may be failing or struggling with something.
The answer then is not to look at suffering as a mountain of problems gradually crushing you, but to see yourself as a donkey laden down with packages, which are being slowly removed as the journey progresses, and other people are helping to remove these from your saddle because you can't do it all by yourself. This therefore is where God comes in. He is one of the people helping remove these packages from your saddle, and he makes your burden easier every day perhaps without you even realising it.
Suffering is an inevitable part of human life and as such we need to learn to deal with it as we would with any other problem. For health issues we go to the doctor, for academic problems we go to our teachers or lecturers, children being bullied at school will hopefully inform their parents. Just as we would confide in a friend about our suffering, or tell our parents something that's worrying us, surely how much more powerful it would be to ask God for his aid. Especially in matters of faith: we cannot expect to go it alone, though at times perhaps that seems just the case. Just read the profound Footprints in the Sand poem, and you'll catch my drift. That is why I have come to understand that prayer is so useful in communicating with God. Many people have argued that prayer is simply a one-sided conversation - you do all the talking. And perhaps they are right. Like a good counsellor God is listening and he does hear your prayer, and I believe he answers by effecting his will in the world - it may not be directly what you've asked for, especially because he knows your needs more than you do - but it'll somehow all work out in the end.
And that's the exact attitude I think more people need to embrace in this world. Not necessarily a view where it'll all be rainbows and fluffy bunnies because God will fix everything. Not at all. We need to fix things in the world too - it's not going to be an easy ride I can promise you that! But in a world where so many people seem unforgiving and nonchalant about issues which demand real human attention, somebody needs to care and say "it actually will all be okay in the end." Nothing says f&*$ you to suffering quite like a positive attitude! Nothing is a lost cause if you have something to strive for, and so too we should take this view with suffering - we can find strength in our experience of the bad elements of the world, we do not need to look down on them with negativity or shame or pity or guilt. I admit, it's a hard path to take, and at times, it's difficult perhaps to find meaning in suffering, particularly the extreme lengths people can go to, but at the end of the day; it's always better to approach a situation with a positive attitude and a willingness to do good in the world.
Suffering becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness, not through insensibility but through greatness of mind.
- Aristotle
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