Suffering

Dear Judy, my life just seems to be a long litany of suffering.  In the Bible it states that God will give us more than we can carry, but I sometimes feel I just cannot go on.  Shab, Kenya

Dear Shab

Obviously you feel that your energy has been depleted and that you can't take any more.  I can understand that and I empathise with you.  Suffering is not what we anticipated when we began our life's journey, but the reality is that life is difficult.  The scripture you refer to is often misinterpreted.  It certainly doesn't say that God will not give us more than we can handle.  In 2 Chronicles 20v12 it says "who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, ... And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear."  In other words, when we are tempted, God will make a way of escape for us.

We know that we can suffer more than we can bear - there is testimony to this fact in mental asylums, etc., where people have broken down completely.  Unfortunately, suffering is real - we are not in total control of what happens to us - but we can control how we react to it.

I do hope things improve for you.

Judy

Judy ~ Why does God allow suffering?  What kind of God allows this?  Wondering, Connecticut USA

Unfortunately suffering is as much part of life and nature as enjoyment and happiness is.  We were not born into a perfect world and there are no perfect people.  Perfection awaits us in the next life.  Here on earth we will suffer at times.  Animals suffer too.  It is par for the course.  We have to accept that life is not fair and no-one said it would be fair except in Fairy Tales.

Hope this answers your question, which is a good one.

Judy