As Puddleglum states in The Silver Chair, “[T]here are no accidents. Aslan is our guide” (Silver Chair, Chapter 10, p. 620). This made me question: is suffering a result of God making us aware of something we're doing wrong? God knows us best, so is the pain His way of telling us to change? If so, we need to be receptive to these warnings.
Our body shows pain when something’s wrong. If we don’t do anything about it, the hurt often becomes worse. We go to the doctor to relieve the pain. We may not be completely healed, but it's all part of a process. In the same way, telling someone about our emotional suffering can relieve us of some of the burden. It gives us release to our problems, and we have another mind to think through what step we should take next. When we have pain in relationships, work, or our spiritual walk, talking through this with someone can be God’s way of giving us an answer. I think God uses others to influence and direct us along our path.
Isaiah 61:3 tells us God wants to “provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes…”. I believe God desires for us to be blessed and to live a joyful life. Suffering may come as a result of God telling us we need to change something in order to have this life. I don't think this is always the case, but it's one way I've found to think about this puzzling issue of pain and suffering.
Why do we suffer? That's one of the big questions. Narnia does suggest some possible answers, and the essay "Aslan the Terrible" explores them, including the one you've introduced here. We'll tackle all this in some depth when we read The Problem of Pain together.
ReplyDeleteHere's just one question: Is it plausible to understand ALL pain and suffering as "God's megaphone," as Lewis puts it?