Why Does Life Hurt So Bad Sometimes?

One of life’s age-old questions is “Why does God allow suffering and pain?” Believe me, I have often wondered that myself. I sure wish that once we accept Christ as our Savior, life was suddenly all sunshine and daisies. In fact, though, we are promised the opposite in John 16:33 which reads, “In the world, you will have tribulation.”

Pain can serve a purpose in our Christian lives, and understanding this can help us overcome our struggles and have peace through the pain.

Pain can signal that something is wrong.

Have you ever accidentally touched a hot pan or nicked your finger with a sharp knife? That pain is an indicator that what you are doing is about to cause harm to your body and a warning to stop immediately. Sometimes, physical pain is a sign there is a much more serious underlying issue. Likewise, suffering and pain in our spiritual or emotional life can be a sign that we have an underlying sin issue we need to deal with. That is why it is so important to have accountability in our lives to call us out when we are heading down a path of sin so we can correct our ways before we stray far from the Lord.

Pain makes us more like Christ.

After we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we have two primary tasks on Earth. The first is to share the love of Christ and the Gospel with everyone we possibly can. The second is to become more and more Christlike as we grow in our spiritual walk through the power of the Holy Spirit. This process is called sanctification, and honestly, it can be a little painful at times as God prunes us of our sins and selfish desires to make room for spiritual growth and understanding. Sometimes God uses pain to soften our hearts and mold us into a new creation.

Pain provides perspective.

Early in my adult life, I experienced the deepest, most gut-wrenching pain I can imagine when I was told my baby daughter was not going to survive, following a botched medical procedure. While she did survive, she is permanently physically and mentally disabled. The pain of knowing my precious daughter was likely to die was honestly beyond description, and it is only through God’s miraculous provision that my wife Dare and I survived it with our marriage and faith in Christ intact.

Since that time, my perspective on what really matters has been dramatically altered. Things that might have caused me stress just don’t seem that important. The pain I experienced with my daughter gave me the gift of having an eternal perspective and the strength to trust in God and His plan rather than trusting in myself and my plan.

Pain proves our faith, and can draw others into a closer relationship with the Lord.

The fact that I didn’t lose my faith in Christ through that trial with my daughter is now a source of encouragement to me to show me that I do indeed have saving faith (Matthew 13:20-23). I have also seen the positive impact of my daughter’s situation and the peace God has given me through it has had on others. God has used my daughter’s story as well as my forgiveness of the doctor who made the disastrous mistake that the Holy Spirit enabled me to have, to draw others into a closer relationship with the Lord. Sometimes God uses the peace that He gives us through our own pain to encourage us about our own faith. Faith that isn’t tested isn’t much faith at all. And sometimes God uses our pain to draw others into a closer relationship with Jesus as they see God working in our own life to provide us peace through the pain.

Sometimes pain is just a consequence of a fallen world.

Sometimes we don’t see the purpose of our pain on this side of eternity. Sometimes what is happening to us or those we love makes no sense to us right now. The fact of the matter is we live in a fallen world, and there are consequences of sin that include sickness, disease, and natural disaster. Living in a world full of sin hurts. It reminds that this is not our home and we are meant to be in Heaven with our Father. If you are suffering and don’t see a purpose for it, remember the end of John 16:33, “But take heart for I have overcome the world.” The pain we experience is temporary, and someday, God will make all the wrongs right for us as Christians. He will wipe away our every tear and we will live in perfect union with Him and other believers. I long for that day and it gives me hope to look forward to it in eager anticipation.

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