Suffering

Who has all answers? 

The faithful answer is that 

I just don't know? 

Free Will and The Light

All pilgrims suffer daily

Worship God anyway

Not a twisted king  

Absolute power hungry

Micro managing 

Free will is our choice

Humans, angels, and demons

Creatures and nature 

Yes, troubles will come 

Not all use free will for good  

Lasting negatives

World variables 

There are good things and bad

War: light and darkness

Troubles since the Fall

Freely, wilfully humans sin

Treking east of Eden

It's not all judgement

Who sinned, man or parents?

Born blind for His work

Tool of redemption 

Not suffering judgement 

Jesus eye opener 

Light of the world

Miraculously heals a man. 

Was blind, but now I see.

Who has all answers? 

The faithful answer is that 

Only He surely does

***

This poem is based on the following article that I wrote:

I don't have all the answers. In fact, the truly faithful answer to some questions is "I just don't know," and that is the faithful answer. I, like others, am on a journey when it comes to the theology and philosophy of suffering. In this little post are some ideas that may be of use to those exploring this topic, particularly those who follow Jesus.    

Free Will and The Light: 

It seems to me in our attempt to worship God, we sometimes think of Him as Sovereign in a twisted way, almost like a dictator with absolute power, micro managing everything and every detail of the world. But that would be a world without free will, a world we humans didn't choose (I suspect humans, angels, demons, and creatures have varied degrees of free will and arguably nature itself). This means troubles will come for not all use free will for good or in a way that doesn't have lasting negative consequences. There is a world of variables. There are good things and bad things. There is a war between light and darkness. In a general sense, the troubles of the world can be traced directly to the fall. Freely and wilfully humans have time and again chosen the darkness over the light plunging the world deeper and deeper into dispair, driving us further and further east of Eden. However, this does not mean every single suffering is somehow an act of divine judgment. In the gospel of John Jesus's disciples ask Him why a man was blind: "And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him." (John 9:3 ESV) Rather than the suffering being a symbol of judgement, it was to be a symbol of redemption. Jesus goes on in that passage to speak of how He was the light of the world. He also miraculously heals the man. It reminds me of that line in the hymn Amazing Grace that says, "I was blind, but now I see." Perhaps it wasn't just the blind man he was healing that day because that whole passage itself is an eye opener.

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