A common question often posed by both believers and unbelievers alike is this. "In this world we have so much pain and suffering. There are wars, famine, disease, abuse, poverty, etc. If God were real and was a loving God, why would He permit His creation to suffer so?" Atheists and agnostics use this question to try to prove that God does not exist or that He is somehow detached from His creation. Those who claim to be believers ask this question when they see suffering either in their own lives or in the lives of others.
And this is a good question to be asked. Now often many preachers give an explanation that God must want something better for us. That He has a plan and is in charge and that we just have to accept that and go with it. That we just have to endure. This explanation does have some truth in it, but it also comes across as a big "I don't know". And for those struggling with this question, "I don't know" isn't a very comforting answer.
Now I won't claim to know everything or have all the answers, but I will tell you this. There is an answer to this question and the answer ought to give us a great deal of faith and hope. The answer hinges upon a concept that tells us who we actually are and why we are here on this earth. It hinges upon what God desires for us in our lives. The answer may offend some, and to those it offends, I ask that you take the question up in prayer and ask God to teach you the truth. This concept gives us a small glimpse into our true potential. But we have to approach it with humility and an open heart and mind.
Who are you? Do you really know? The Judeo-Christian bible teaches us that we are God's creation. That God decided to create an earth and that He created man and placed Him on this earth. I am not going to disagree with this so far as it is scriptural, but I will state that the version that predominates the Judeo-Christian teaching is only a small part of the truth. I won't go into the full details here today, but I will state this: this earth was created to provide a mortal experience for God's CHILDREN.
When I say God's children, that means something more than simply God's creation. This means that He desires us to become like He is. How does this relate to my subject? Well, in the simplest terms I can explain, this mortal experience is specifically designed to give us the opportunity we need to develop our characters to become more like God. This life is designed to help us become better people.
I must emphasize the word opportunity because we are rational intelligent beings, just like God, and as such we must exercise our ability to make choices based upon the circumstances that surround us. This earth creates an ideal environment where we can experience a wide variety of circumstances. And in those situations we can make choices, and every choice has a naturally occurring consequence. When we see a child in need of food, or love; a family struggling to make ends meet, we have an opportunity to awaken the divine heritage within us, and do as God would do.
A good way to explain this is learning to perform a job in the workplace. You can learn somewhat by observing others work, and you could learn some by reading about the theory, but you will never learn to be proficient at that job in this way. But when the master steps back and let's the apprentice do the work, then the apprentice gains the hands on experience. When we learn by doing we learn far better than we could ever learn by simply observing.
This world provides ample opportunity for us to do as God would do and learn by real experience. Sure God could feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, heal the sick, give rest to the weary, comfort those that are sad, etc. but He would rather that we have the opportunity to learn to do these things for others. He would rather that we learn to bless those around us. If He did the work for us without our being engaged in the process, we won't learn the lesson. Since learning is why we are here, then it would be very unloving of Him to spare us those experiences. If He created and maintained this world as a Utopia, we would not be able to learn the lessons of love and compassion. We wouldn't be able to learn from difficulties and struggles. And if we can't learn those things, then we would never be able to become like God.
“Jesus said: If those who lead you say unto you: Behold, the Kingdom is in heaven, then the birds of the heaven will be before you. If they say unto you: It is in the sea, then the fish will be before you. But the Kingdom is within you, and it is outside of you. When you know yourselves, then shall you be known, and you shall know that you are the sons of the living Father. But if ye do not know yourselves, then you are in poverty, and you are poverty.”
Thomas 1:3
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