Suffering.  Though some might argue as to the nature of suffering, few of a sane mind would doubt its ubiquitous nature.  I will for this entry considering suffering to be either great physical or emotional distress or loss.  This includes death of loved ones, illnesses, a life without purpose or love, severe injury, and anything else that causes great pain to human beings. 
     I want to start here on a personal note, for this is how I came to write this in the first place.  Obviously I know that suffering has always been a part of human history.  The more history classes I take the more I realize that.  I mean, we grieve, and not unjustly, at modern wars and their losses.  Yet wars have been happening since the beginning of recorded human history!  The same famines, killings, wars, injustices, cruelties, hatred, lust, and greed have existed throughout time as well as now.  Further, the topic of suffering is a special one among Christians, for the issue of how to reconcile the plethora of the world's obvious suffering with a God who is all good remains a difficult question to answer satisfactorily.  So, certainly the idea of suffering has been in my own mind my entire life.  I have studied it in the Christian context.  I seen my own loss, physical and emotional, and in my friends and family as well.  So, after these and many other things, why talk about suffering now?  Before further exploring these thoughts, I want to lay down some of the key Biblical verses concerning suffering.

Romans 5:3-5 "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings; because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and charatcer, hope.  And hope does not dissappoint us, for God has poured out his love into out hearts by the Holy Spirit whom he has given us."

James 1:2-3 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, for you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

2 Corinthians 1:3-5  "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.  For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

     There are certianly more, but these are a sufficient foundation.  This recent train of thought was probably started by hurricane Katrina and the massive damage done in LA and neighboring states.  It was made very vivid to America, and we made a big deal of it.   Yet, it was really stimulated by the massive earthquake in Kashmir, between India and Pakistan, where it is now estimated that over 50,000 people died in this event.  Yes, less focus has been paid to this event, though it terms of human suffering it is far greater than Katrina.  But that's not the point.  The point is many people suffered horribly, and clean up/ministry to the affected is still greatly in progress.  Then there was a landslide in Central America claiming at least 1,400 lives, and now there's another hurricane lashing Mexico and around the Florida Keys.  This of course does not even begin to take into account the massive amount of human suffering every day.  Thousands around the globe die daily from a multitude of causes, many suffering greatly in the process.  Perhaps such things are too mundane to be of interest, or perhaps most people block them out becasue they are unpleast, and instead these people would rather seek after happiness, which excludes thoughts about suffering as much as possible.  I can't say for sure.  However, all of this stuff has become so much more personal in the past few days, though I am not the one suffering.
     For example, I was working (at Chick-fil-A) the other night, and there were a couple of men ordering some fodd, and for some reason is was taking a while.  I apologized to them about their wait, then one of them said something to the effect of, 'Oh, this isn't a long wait.  We just got back from the hospital where we were told that our father isn't going to make it.'  I tried to express sympathy, and I wanted to do something for them , but I knew that I couldn't.  I was shocked that somebody would tell me a thing like that when they didn't know me at all.  I didn't have too much time to ruminate on it becasue I had other duties at work.  However, it stuck firmly in my mind.  Then, even the day after I think, one of my co-workers came in and reported that somebody who had been close to her had overdoesed on drugs and died.  She was shaken up, and again I was shocked (Even more so by others' insensitivities to this pain). 

     Weeks, even months later, more thoughts of this nature plague me.  I should not be surprised.  Suffering is of course a normal part of life.  Every human being who has every live and will ever live has and will suffer, some immensly.  Even this night the haunting spectre of sudden pain, the very real possibility that a friend might lose a family member in the next couple of days, is a burden.  Yes, all must someday die, even ourselves.  Though we often don't think that way.  Death is the great enemy of all that is good, the enemy of life.  No matter how much we try to rationalize it, and say that death is "just a part of life" as in Brave New World for example, it is always unnatural. 

     I cannot get this song out of my mind.  I have known it well for some time, and it hits home now more than ever, even though these sufferings are not yet my own.  The song is Path of Pain by Crimson Moonlight, for the very few who might have an inkling of who they are.  It describes a man on the path of life, suffering greatly.  Then Jesus comes to him and talks with him.  He tells the man that the Father has seen his pain, that he himself has walked with him the whole time, even if he was not seen.  Jesus tells him that even if he does not know the purpose of his pain, he knows that he can trust in Jesus, for he walked much deeper, and bore far more burdens than anyone else ever has and ever could.  He was "Made perfect in his suffering"  for "The Christ has to suffer all these things..."  The song is a poetic, powerful, profound look into pain and how we can relate it to our savior.  In the end of the song, the wanderer is beside "The clear spring again."  The suffering has passed, but he now knows much more about his Lord, and can trust in him the next time he must face suffering.

     One more thought for now.  I think o the story of Gary Habermas, author and professor at Liberty University.  He discusses in Lee Strobel's books (Case for Christ, Easter, etc.) the story of how he lost his wife, I beleive it was to cancer.  His academic focus and personal passion is the ressurection of Jesus Christ.  As he watched his wife die, and after she died, he had many, many responses from students with a similar theme, to paraphrase:  "If you really believe in the ressurection of Jesus, you know that you'll both be resurrected with him.  If it was good enough for Jesus, is it not good enough for your wife as well?"  The wonderful thing was, he actually found solace in that.  The resurrection of Christ was so powerful and so real to him that he was comforted even in the loss of his greatest earthly treasure.  Or, in closing, to use lyrics again, "The final cry of God's faultless, wounded Son brought freedom!"

In adendum, I have come to beleive that while yes, the scriptures are powerful, preaching them to a sufferer who does not alreayd believe them fully heart and soul is a meaningless endeavor.  When somebody goes through pain, they don't want trite words but real love.  If I suffer, I don't want to hear the verses I listed above, no matter how true they may be.  I want sombody to be there who will cry with me if need be, somebody to "mourn with those who mourn", to be a friend and a brother/sister.  We should "live a life of love" above all else.  Truly, to try to listen to the heart cry of every suffering individual, even within a smaller group, would be deafening.  However, does not God call us to preach healing to as many human hearts as possible, though loud indeed be their cries?  Is that not what ministry is all about, reaching and loving and teaching and pointing to God as many as possible, though you know you're never reach them all?

I may never know for certain why humanity suffers in this our exile.  Perhaps it will always burden my heart, whether it is personal or not.  Father, let us yearn for Heaven, to rid ourselves of this Earthly land, for we long to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling...and not to be such miserable strangers in this world.  Until we too die, and rise again with Christ, give us peace and strength to trust that you care for us even when we can't see it.  "I have walked the whole path with you."  Enough for now.