Have you ever asked yourself …”Why am I here?”, “What is my purpose in life?”  “Why does God allow grief and suffering here on Earth?” 

Even though we might feel we are bearing the brunt of God’s judgment, the suffering and hardships we suffer in our lives is not God’s wrath, but the consequences of sin and man’s fallen nature. In fact, God gives us blessings we don’t deserve and His Son took the punishment we deserve.

No matter what kind of a life we have led thus far, every Christian at some point realizes that we are all part of God’s plan.  Deep down inside we know that our lives are journeys from place to place as God grows us in our faith. Along the way there are lessons. These lessons are designed to not only lead us back to God, but also to test our limitations. 

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. —Proverbs 3:6, KJV

Have you ever found yourself in a situation in which you could find no feasible answer to solve a dilemma? What was your next step?

If you are a Christian, consider praying directly to the Heavenly Father. Pray often and with deep conviction and most importantly, listen carefully for answers. In most cases, the answers come from unusual sources and are not the solution(s) that you are looking for. As time goes on, you see the “Big Picture” and become aware of God’s intervention that is happening in your life. 

Thus the answer to the second question, “What is my purpose in life?” becomes evident. Our purpose is to try, fail, try again, fail, try with God’s help and succeed; in essence rely, in faith wholly, on God for all our needs … but above all else, to glorify God. God is willing and able to provide if we seek His provision. As has been said before, “God will grow the potatoes, but it is up to us to plant, weed, water, harvest, clean and cook them.”

Now we come to the ultimate Christian conundrum, mainly, “Why does God allow bad things happen to good people?” or “Why is there so much grief and suffering in the world?” Some things are out of our control. But we can choose how to respond to pain and suffering in this world. We can choose to live upright lives and follow scriptural teachings in the darkness that surrounds us.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. —Romans 8:18, KJV

What about natural phenomenon? In light of the recent floods, famines, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornados and other things, sometimes good people find themselves right in the middle of disaster. It is here that our true love as Christians can surely shine. We will be asked to sacrifice and to work hard to alleviate the suffering of others. In some cases, we will only be able to cope because of our faith alone. This is when the word “Christian” becomes a verb. It is up to us to live our faith at these times.