The Problem of pain

The Problem of Pain

One of the classic problems people have with Christianity is the problem of pain.
The argument that most people have goes something like this.
If God is all loving he would not want us to experience pain.
If God is all powerful he would stop us from having to experience pain.
Since he doesn't stop the pain he is either not all powerful or he isn't all loving.

    But this argument totally ignores something that all athletes know no pain no gain.
Many types of pain are useful. Those of us who are parents often take our kids to the doctor and the dentist. We love our children but we actually drive our kids to places we know that they will experience pain. But we do it anyway because we know their life will be better for it. Pain is often the cause of great benefit. If warns us away from things that will harm us like hot stoves. The pain induced by exercise enables us to get stronger. Getting our hearts broken helps us appreciate better, and love more fully the people who don't break our hearts. We don't see it that way at the time, just like a newborn never understands why a doctor just poked a hole in his or her leg, but decades later the same child will do the same thing to their beloved child.


   I don't pretend that all pain makes us stronger, or that all pain seems worth it in the end but a good portion of it does.
Even if we don't realize it till years later.

Other kinds of pain can also cause beauty. One of my favorite shows is Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
I usually start out watching it in tears because of the pain that each family had to experience to qualify them for the show.
By the end I am crying because of the beauty of seeing people pour out their hearts and money to help the family have a better life. I think it warms the hearts of all people who watch it and maybe even inspires others to help others as well. All of that beauty would not be possible without the pain that started it.

We also know that God hates the pain we are sometimes forced to deal with because he has commanded Christians to help people who need it. Unfortunately many so-called Christians ignore that command, but I don't think a world where we are forced to be good would be a much better option then one where we are free to be bad.
Imagine if someone put a gun up to your spouses head and ordered them to kiss you. No matter how wonderful your spouses kisses may be when given freely, if your spouse was forced to kiss you the kiss would pretty much stink. Forced love isn't love at all it is rape. So it is much better to get love when their is an option not to love then when all love is forced on you.

I know this answer isn't very comforting if you are experiencing a great deal of pain right now and for that I am sorry. Just please know that it will get better with time. And that pain does NOT disprove God.