The point of Suffering?

First of all, let me be the first to say, that there are tons of better resources out there that really address this issue.  Whole books have been written on this, one of my personal favorites being "Streams in the Desert", a book that has sustained and gotten me through many difficult times.

But since I have gone through a relatively minor period of suffering (minor compared to all those in the world who are truly suffering, either by starvation, persecution, terrorism, etc.) I thought I would just jot a few notes down.

Suffering, when you are going through it, is just about the last thing in the world you really want to go through.  There are several different kinds of suffering that I see.

1. Physical- this is one that most of us in the  States really don't know much about.  We are fed, we are clothed, we are warm.  
2. Mental- I think this is fairly common in the West.  I don't start to presume to know how people are suffering mentally, I am not an expert, but I know that many people suffer from the mental strain of trying to meet their needs, the mental strain from jobs, etc.
3. Emotional-  as is seen from the many people suffering with depression, anxiety, etc.  This can be incredibly painful and dehabilitating.
4. Relational- relationships have always been a source of great joy or great distress, or somewhere in the middle.  
5. Financial- I think fairly obvious.  :)

So, with the suffering and the stress usually the first thing we want to do is get out of it.  And I think in a sense that that is healthy, because God gave us minds that try to figure things out, that try to solve things.  I think that it is OK to try to fix things to a point.  But always in our fixing, we have to be willing to stay within the parameters that God has given us to fix things.  For example, when we are having relational problems, we cannot go out and treat someone in a way that God condemns, for example, having hatred in our heart, un-forgiveness, jealousy or envy.  Obviously the extreme of all of this is abuse, murder etc.

With things like depression, I know many people who have been helped by going outside for a walk, by journaling, etc.  But even in all of these things, they can honor the Lord.  Going outside for a walk can show them once again who created this whole earth, they can remember that they are but dust and the Lord is ultimately in control.  Journaling, if done in the right way, can help them to figure out truths that they may be avoiding or ignoring, and give them a safe outlet to do so.  And then, hopefully at the end, they will once again go back to God's Word and "take every thought captive."

But there is still often pain to go through, and sometimes we can't fix it, we can't make it work.  This is so incredibly difficult.  But I have seen so much fruit come from people's lives who have gone through suffering that they cannot fix.  There is a depth of character, a wisdom, a compassion, a gentleness, a humility.  All these things seem so simple to say, and yet when I am with a person who has these qualities, I am immediately struck by these things in their life.  We can choose to allow suffering to make us bitter, or we can allow suffering to make us better.

It is our choice.  God has given us this choice as to how we choose to use our experiences.  Probably all of us will go through suffering in our lives, but I hope my moments of "suffering" can be used for whatever purposes the Lord would have.  Some of those purposes I may know while I am living, some I may not know until I get to heaven.