Suffering helps us pay attention.
My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention… Psalm 119:71
When life is easy, we get comfortable. When we get comfortable, it’s easy to get complacent. When we get complacent, we stop focusing on the things that helped us get to the positive place we enjoyed. In short, we stop paying attention.
Paying attention to the needs of others.
Paying attention to the trends and changes.
Paying attention to the still small voice within us.
Whether or not God causes suffering is a question to ask when the clock stops ticking. But with certainty, God allows suffering. One reason: Suffering gets attention. And when God gets our attention, it’s ALWAYS a good thing.