Dear Lord,
I have a somewhat strange proposal. But I think that when considered, you will find my rationale very reasonable. Lord, I know that we as Christians must share in the sufferings of Christ. I know that one of the unavoidable things about life is suffering. I also know that although you may not actually cause the suffering, you use it for the benefit of your Kingdom.
Natural disasters, broken relationships, persecution, financial and professional struggles as well as sickness and death will come. But, Lord, could you make my life an exception? I’d really prefer not having to suffer all that much. A more peaceful, hassle-free life without too many struggles would be nice. My proposal is this: If I find other ways to sanctify myself, could you perhaps allow me to miss the pain and suffering part of life?
I’d like to summarise, at the risk of being wrong, what I know are some of the causes for suffering and show you how I could be sanctified by alternate means.
Reason #1
We live in a fallen world and sin reigns in the hearts of men. That is, we suffer because we or others have been selfish and sinful. Although I cannot be responsible for others, I can take responsibility for myself. With your help, Lord, like Job I can consciously commit to flee from the indulgences of sex, money and power that encroach on your good will.
That would just leave the sin of others to worry about. To compensate for their sinfulness, I could volunteer to help the oppressed, impoverished and downtrodden. That way I would see the plight of wickedness and fight it tooth and nail without experiencing it myself.
Reason #2
Suffering could also come as some type of trial, test or discipline. We could suffer because you test our heart to see if it matches our words. I wish to also use others as a way out of such suffering. I could counsel those who are being tested and sympathise, empathise and pray for them. I could then take their difficulties and ask my wife to test whether I really trust you.
For example, to see whether I trust you for food, she could covertly remove anything with sustenance from our house to see how I respond. She could even temporarily give me only unworkable sums of money every day and test my reaction. This way any suffering could be minimal and effective at the same time.
Reason #3
We could also possibly suffer because of righteousness. This, I believe, is when the goodness of Christ comes in conflict with the sinfulness of the world – like Jesus being called a demon because he was performing miracles. From the beatitudes we know that those who suffer for righteousness will behold the Kingdom of heaven. This is a tricky one, and I am starting to think that I may have to suffer a little. But I must admit, Lord, that I think righteousness has actually benefited me more than it has allowed me to suffer.
For example, the other day a police officer came to my house to verify my address so that I could procure my passport. He asked for a bribe, and I gave him a lecture on integrity instead. He seemed ashamed and left after listening to and accepting my rebuke. I would have suffered if he had declined me a passport, but I got my passport soon after. So Christ’s righteousness in this case allowed me to challenge a cop for doing wrong while acquiring a passport at the same time. If all my good acts could reap such double benefits, Lord, that would be nice.
Reason #4
Lastly, there are reasons for suffering that we cannot possible know or understand. This reasoning is the trickiest because I cannot know how you are working through the suffering and therefore cannot preempt a proper response. It is interesting to note here how you did not actually give Job an answer to his question, “Why?” You did ask him a lot of questions about nature in response though. You said things like “Who has let the wild donkey go free?” and “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly but are they the pinions and plumage of love?”
I think I know what you are getting at. You wanted him to endure and trust and know that you are good. He probably never knew in his lifetime that his story would become an example for the solace to millions of suffering people. But he did seem to realise, through your nature questions, that your wisdom and care is far beyond our own.
To learn the lesson of suffering we cannot understand, I will not seek to understand anything; I will simply look to nature and bathe in its wonder and awe. I can spend regular retreats in the wild, searching out things that are too wonderful for me. I’ll study the ants, the ostriches and the mountain goats, and gaze at the beauty of life. Nature will humble me into realising that there are many things that are too wonderful to fathom.
So, I think I have covered all my bases, Lord. I’ll learn all my lessons in a controlled environment where I won’t have to suffer and life will be a breeze. I think you’ll find my reasoning quite good. What I am really asking, Lord, is if I can suffer just a little less? Of course, I have nothing to offer you in return; only that I will try and learn the right lessons. I am now realising that my argument is not very persuading.
Okay, God, how about I suffer but only over a short period of time? If it could all be within a short stretch, then the rest of my life could be free of hassles. If the suffering was condensed and I knew that it was for a short time, that would not be as bad. I have just realised that in the scale of eternity our life is a very short time so that argument may backfire on itself. But what I mean is that there is so much to enjoy on this earth, and it would be a shame if so much of life was spent in misery.
Lord, I know my requests may seem a little strange but, since I am asking, would it be possible if you could also keep my immediate family from pain and suffering? Why not throw in my extended family, too? I believe some of my friends would thrive in a suffering-free environment, but I’ll leave that to your discretion. Just one more request, Lord – if you could reply to this letter with either a very deep, audible voice, or by turning the clouds into letters, that would be the best communication method.
Written by Jonny Abraham.
Jonny is the Chief Servant and Delegator of Fusion in New Delhi. He is passionate about servant leadership. In his non-spare time, Jonny consults on leadership training with NGOs, companies and UN agencies. In his spare time, he spares time for a lovely wife and two boisterous daughters.