Saturday, July 08, 2006

A few more thoughts about evil and suffering

The interesting thing about the questions often raised by evil and suffering is just how much of an effect they often seem to have, not only among non-believers, but among believers.

Is this because of our lack of "eternal vision"?

We know there is an eternity ahead of us. It says so plainly in the scriptures, but our focus is drawn to the here and now because of our flesh and the deception/illusion that is constantly promoted by the devil and the world.

Are we so focused on "why bad things happen to 'good' people" that we lose sight of the real issue at hand?

The real issue is not whether or not the devil is allowed to do something terrible to us or someone else in this life. The real issue is whether we allow the devil to deceive us into hindering or harming ourselves or those around us eternally.

Of course, we are to focus on the here and now in the sense that a soldier must focus in the midst of a war. However, the soldier cannot lose sight of the fact that we are fighting the war for a specific reason and that one day.... the war will end. (Praise God for this knowledge!)

May the Lord help us to have eternal vision and eternal values.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have not had to suffer in comparison to other people but a person does not live for 63 years without suffering. I have whined and cried just like the majority of Christians. I have joined the Israelites in their complaining. But now I wish for a higher commitment...a higher level. I pray for more endurance and for seeing the higher goal for this life. I want to be pleasing to the Father! Being in this human body does not make it easy. You are right. There is a higher reason, a reason that none of us really understands. Sometimes, I feel the Lord has given me understanding of some of my own personal suffering and the evils that have befallen my life but other times, I only have to trust that there is a reason for which I am unaware......Thus the trust issue rears its head again in my life.