Making Sense of Suffering

“Another girl!” the man was disgusted. He and his wife already had two girls. “We need a son, not another daughter!” He sent the baby girl, Chailai, to his cousins. But life in their home was a nightmare for Chailai. “You’re too stupid to attend school,” her foster parents yelled. They made her work like a slave instead. Constantly abused and mistreated, Chailai suffered under a cloud of shame and anger. It seemed like there was no one who loved her.

Have you heard of stories like Chailai’s? Perhaps you have been mistreated and are overwhelmed by pain.

When the pain feels intolerable, we try to escape, but we often cause more harm to ourselves and to others. Sometimes we may think that something bad in our past is now causing our suffering. But there is no comfort in that thought. It only adds more fear and frustration. Is there any hope that our pain and misfortune will end?

Millions of people—including Chailai—have found hope in the true sympathy and love of Jesus. 

Who Is Jesus?

The ancient teacher Jesus was born to a very poor family. Shortly after His birth, the family fled from a violent king and lived like refugees in Egypt. When the evil king died, they returned to Israel and settled in Nazareth, a town with a bad reputation. This sounds like a terrible beginning for a great teacher. 

The name Jesus means “God rescues.” Seven hundred years before Jesus’s birth, it was predicted that a deliverer would come to the world and suffer like those he came to rescue. His mission would be to help the sorrowing ones and bring an end to suffering and death. 

The True Friendship of Jesus

The Christian holy book, the Bible, tells many stories of how Jesus came close to sufferers.

One day, a man with a serious skin disease came to where Jesus was teaching. His body was covered with sores, and he smelled terrible. He was overcome with shame and hopelessness because people of his time believed his disease must be punishment for his mistakes. But Jesus stepped close to him and touched him. Immediately, he was healed! 

Another time, Jesus met two demon-possessed men who lived among the tombs, crying and cutting themselves with stones. When they saw Jesus, the evil spirits told Him to go away. But Jesus commanded the spirits to leave. The spirits obeyed, and the men immediately regained their sanity.

Later, Jesus met a woman who was a social outcast in her town because she had been married five times. She was surprised when Jesus talked kindly to her. She was so happy that she brought everyone to see the great teacher who had given her hope. 

A Suffering Friend

You would think such a powerful healer and kind teacher would be loved by all. And He certainly was loved by many. But the religious teachers became jealous of Jesus’s popularity and strategized a way to destroy Him.

Jesus told His disciples that He would be falsely accused and killed. He explained that it was God’s plan to enter into human suffering and transform people’s hearts. He predicted that His life would return on the third day. But His disciples couldn’t accept that their beloved teacher would suffer so terribly; they were determined to defend Him. 

Sadly, it happened just like Jesus said. One disciple greedily betrayed Jesus for some money, helping a mob capture Him in the middle of the night. The other disciples fled in fear. False witnesses accused Jesus of planning to overthrow the government. Jesus was convicted, brutally beaten, and nailed to a wooden cross where He died in terrible pain. 

Hope in Our Suffering

Jesus’s mother and followers wept as they put His body in a tomb. Soldiers sealed the tomb and placed guards outside of it. But on the third day, a great earthquake opened the tomb, and Jesus rose to life. 

When Jesus appeared to His disciples, they couldn’t believe their eyes! He forgave them for running away when He needed them most. He spent time teaching them from the Bible, showing them His ultimate plan to end suffering and death. He commanded them to tell everyone to prepare for His return when He would finish His rescue mission. Then Jesus returned to heaven. 

A Friend Who Enters My Pain

Chailai, the girl who grew up unwanted, eventually learned about Jesus from kind people working in the refugee camp where she fled during a war. She listened to stories from the Bible and learned about God’s plan to end suffering and death. Chailai knew God could help her escape her shame and suffering, so she asked Him to heal her heart. God replaced her hatred and bitterness with forgiveness and compassion. Today, she tells people about how God washed her clean and calls her His daughter. 

What about you? Would you like to meet Jesus as well? You may talk to God like this: 

Dear God, thank You for understanding the pain I have gone through (explain your difficulties here). Thank You for sending Jesus to save us from suffering. Please heal my heart and give me peace and a forgiving spirit. Amen.

If you would like to learn more about Jesus and how He can help us in times of suffering, please contact us at the information on the back of this paper.