10 Reasons to Believe in a God Who Allows Suffering

10 Reasons to Believe in a God who Allows Suffering
from Mandilakhe Dabula
via Auntie Mo and Melissa Borgmann:

1. Suffering comes with the freedom to choose.

2. Pain can warn us of danger.

3. Suffering reveals what is inside our hearts.

4. Suffering takes us to the edge of eternity.

5. Suffering loosens our grip on this world & life.

6. Suffering gives us opportunity to trust God.

7. In suffering, God suffers with us.

8. Suffering is lesser than God's comfort.

9. In times of suffering, we find one another.

10. God can turn suffering around for our own good.

From my own experience:
- It is true that pain serves a purpose in life! It warns us to pull hands away from hot stoves and hearts away from bad relationships.
- It is true that sometimes we hold negativity in our hearts, which causes suffering - but that suffering reveals what we need to let go of.
- It's true that pain helps us focus on what matters - not things of the earth, but trust in God.
- And it's absolutely true that God can use our suffering to make us stronger, healthier, and better able to do God's will on earth.

I do not know what suffering this South African young man has endured, or where he found these words, or why he sent them on. It doesn't matter. I am blessed to read and ponder them today.