The Christian Answer to Suffering
Suffering is universal. Some people face frequent illness or chronic pain. Others deal with the trauma of job loss, divorce, or mental health issues. As we age, we inevitably experience the pain of losing parents and spouses. I still remember the first time I encountered death in what I believed to be my forever unbroken family circle. Suddenly, we received the phone call that Uncle Joe had died. To me, he was the invincible man who made great things happen and could laugh in the face of any calamity. But he was struck by a brain clot and died within an hour. Sometimes death arrives quietly, like socks on its feet, and other times like the crash of a mighty chain, but no one can escape the harsh reality of its weight.
Since suffering is so universal, I want to examine it from three different perspectives: the Stoic, the Buddhist, and the Christian.
As a history buff, I have always been amazed by the Stoics’ ability to endure suffering. One man who stands out is Seneca. He reminds me of an Indian chief standing tall like a great tower of strength, showing no emotion even as everything close to him is being stripped away.
The Stoic (See Acts 17:18)
Seneca lived in the first century A.D. and was a native of Spain. He became a wealthy lawyer in Rome, rising to positions of power under three successive Roman emperors. However, he is better known for his Stoic philosophy and views on how to handle suffering. He believed that everything in life happens under divine providence. Everything is pre-ordained, and since you can’t stop it from happening, you have to grin and bear it. You submit to it like a slave to a master’s whip. Suffering for him was much like training for the Olympics; you push yourself to the last ounce of strength; you keep going until your muscles are on fire; you endure, you ignore pain; you push through it because you want to be the best of the best; you aim to go higher, further, faster, and longer than the competition; you soldier on because it builds the sinews of discipline and character, and one day, it will set you apart from the average man.
In other words, how can you expect to become strong if you give up during life’s hardships? A life of prosperity and ease is the enemy of virtue and spiritual growth. In his own words: “Soft riches have ruined the age by disgraceful luxury.”
For a mesquite tree to grow strong, it must sink its roots thirty feet into the earth, where it gains even greater strength. This allows it to endure arid climates, withstand the chafing winds, and face the buffeting gales of life. The stoic and courageous man endures suffering and misfortunes like a good soldier, viewing them as opportunities for growth and maturity.
The Stoics valued the body less than the spirit. To them, virtue and strength of spirit are the two things that truly matter.
The Buddhist
Next, we explore how Buddhists endure suffering. Buddhists believe that all human life involves suffering. Liberation from suffering starts with accepting this truth. The next step is to realize that mistaken perceptions cause our suffering. Instead of focusing on external things in the world, we must look deep within ourselves and draw from the sources of happiness already inside us. The solution is to identify and tap into these sources.
How can we rise above our sufferings and discover the happiness that already exists within us? How do we reach for the magic lantern, rub Aladdin’s lamp, drink from the stream, and eat from the tree of happiness inside us? We need to relax, breathe deeply, and focus on the present moment. The key is to let go of the past and not worry about the future. Tomorrow is out of sight; yesterday is gone, so put the past and future out of your mind and concentrate only on the present—that is where happiness resides.
To put it simply, both the Stoics and the Buddhists have valid points. Christians agree with the Stoics that suffering can strengthen you. The most admirable Christians I know have faced great hardships in Gethsemane and beyond. Jesus was “a man of sorrows acquainted with grief.” Jesus told Paul that he would “suffer for His name’s sake.”
The Christian Answer
Christians agree with Buddhists that you can’t live in the past, and you can’t be forever worried about the future, but you can do something about the present. We agree that we should live our lives one day at a time. The scriptures say,
“As your days, so shall your strength be.” (Genesis 33:250.
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). God does use pain to get our attention. The Psalmist said in Psalm 119:71, “It was good for me to suffer so I would learn your demands.” (NCV)
The great C.S. Lewis expressed it this way: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” The Stoic views the physical body as unimportant; only the spirit of man matters. However, the Christian believes that both body and soul are important to God, as He created both. Our body is as much a part of God’s creation as our spirit. And one day, like Jesus Himself, we will live in heaven and a new earth, perfect in body, soul, and spirit.
The Buddhist does not believe in eternal life. He disdains the reality of birth, death, and suffering. This life alone is it. At death, it’s all over. Finding the spring of happiness within you to overcome suffering is only to get you through this life. It serves no eternal purpose. When you die, it’s all over — you walk off the stage, the curtain falls, and its darkness, nothingness, forever.
But to the Christian, suffering holds eternal significance. This world serves as a preparation room for eternity.
No one can say they fully understand all the reasons for suffering. Why the innocent suffer is the toughest question in all of Christianity. Now, we see through a dark glass and only have part of the answer. I find comfort in what Abraham said to God before He buried Sodom and Gomorrah under a sea of brimstone; “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
To the Christian, we are exceedingly valuable to God. And while He does not provide all the answers, we do know this: God remains with us in our suffering. Like the Good Samaritan, He steps right into the ditch beside us and cares for us. This is beyond understanding for the Stoic and Buddhist. But for the Christian, this is part of His true greatness.
Through the Holy Spirit living in us, we experience the power of Christ’s resurrection, which helps us fight the good fight. Certainly, the sufferings of this life leave their scars upon our bodies, just as the five scars of Jesus remain on His body. But these scars serve only as reminders that we can overcome through God’s power. We eagerly await the day when all pain and suffering will be eradicated forever, and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. This is a Christian hope and promise that no Stoic or Buddhist can match.
None of this means that the Christian life is a cruise down the Lazy River; instead, we are rowing upstream against the currents of this world, but like the disciples on the stormy sea, with Jesus in the boat, we will make it safely to the other shore.
Get in the boat with Him right now while the waters are fine.
“…For the sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us.”
The Best is yet to be.
He’s Only a Prayer Away.
Dr. Robert Bryant