Pain? It seems to surround us. It could be the child next door to you whose fellow classmates are teasing or bullying them.  A neighbor who’s been told by their partner that the relationship is over. A loved one or family member that just found out they are losing their job, or it could be you that’s just learned from your doctor (or are waiting to hear from your doctor) about a test.

C.S. Lewis was once asked “Why do the righteous suffer?” He responded, “Because they are the only ones who can take it”

Peter had some commentary on this very subject as he wrote to the churches of Asia.

1 Peter 2:19-21   Now it is commendable if, because of one’s understanding of God someone should endure pain through suffering unjustly. But what praise come from enduring patiently when you have sinned and are better for it? But if you endure steadfastly when you’ve done good and suffer for it this is commendable before God.

You were called to this kind of endurance because Christ suffered on your behalf. He left you an example so that you might follow in his footsteps.

There are a couple of questions – both very similar – and I am quite sure most everybody has been asked, or has asked, one or both of them:

“Why do bad things happen to good people?”

or

Why is God doing this to me?”

I know in my lifetime I’ve asked and been asked both questions and there’s a part of me who’s always struggled with the answer. The struggle has not come from a point of faith, but the environment in which the question is asked in order to find the right words that would be heard.

God is good! He’s love and forgiveness. God is peace, understanding, healing and strength. God is refuge in a storm. God is the light that guides us through the most difficult times. There are countless examples throughout the Bible and in the people and lives that surround us.

What God is not, is hatred and unforgiveness. God is not spiteful or unjust. You need only turn a few pages into the very first book of the Bible to find the first example of suffering and pain. It has been present since the very beginning and will continue until He returns.

So if we can agree that God is good, that suffering pain are not of His hand, and finally that both have been and will continue to be a part of our world until He returns, then what is Peter trying to say in his message? What message or messages are we to take from his words?

There are a few things we can take from what he has said. The Reverend Billy Graham had some things he believed we could take or learn from these difficult times. In his message, he explained that there was a message of love and compassion.

Jesus said, “…for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:35-36).

I believe that there has to be a willingness to submit to God and His mighty power. Letting go of the suffering and pain and placing it into God’s hands. Think about it – in the greatest example of pain, Christ himself suffered unjustly entrusting Himself in God. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Get down on our knees, and give to God what is weighing so heavily on our minds and hearts. That part is easy, but not taking it back, not grabbing a hold of it a minutes later – that’s the part we must learn to embrace.

There also has to be an element of learning as we traverse the rocky trail. I’ve long heard that when we make a mistake, we should learn from it, but I believe we can learn something from each trial we’ve experienced. So while we’re bowing to our Lord in prayer, ask God what is to be learned from the situation. With this wisdom, you’ll be better equipped to handle the next situation you face. It may also allow you to give a small piece of comfort to a friend or loved one if they are carrying a similar burden.

Finally, as we face these situations, and once we come through the other end, we must celebrate and give thanks to God for the love and grace God has shown us not only in the words that we share with Him but also through what we do and the testimony we give to others. In this way, we share the fruit of God’s love and God’s grace with others.

Parnell Bailey (contributor to “The Daily Bread”) once visited an orange grove where an irrigation pump had broken down. The season was unusually dry, and some of the trees were beginning to die for lack of water.

The man giving the tour then took Bailey to his own orchard where irrigation was used sparingly. The trees in this grove were healthy, tall, with branches reaching to the sky – the leaves deep green, and they were filled with fruit.  “These trees could go without rain for another 2 weeks,” he said. “You see, when they were young, I frequently kept water from them. This hardship caused them to send their roots deeper into the soil in search of moisture. Now mine are the deepest-rooted trees in the area. While others are being scorched by the sun, these are finding moisture at a greater depth.”

For us, the roots are our faith. Roots that go deep and reach the living water. They hold us strong and tall so that we can endure the pain and suffering we’ll face in our lives. They are the knowledge that no matter what we face, God is there and will carry the heavy weight laying upon us.

The branches are our arms and hands as we stretch them to the heavens acknowledging God’s presence in our lives. Celebrating God’s love and mercy. Giving Him the praise and glory.

Finally, the fruit an outward example of God’s love and grace and the example we can share with others through our lives.  Amen