Is life fair? I mean, honestly, so many bad things happen to good people, and literally not an ounce of a good thing happens. I mean, I am getting really depressed, and this is not the first time; I've been depressed for years before. I try to do everything right, I'm not saying I'm a good person, but nothing seems to work for me. Why does God not help? Why do people suffer? I know you're going to tell me that God has his reasons, but what about those people that the reasons are never shown to? Honestly, at this point I don't even care, I'm not angry or anything, I'm just basically apathetic, but why do people who constantly cry out to him get nothing?
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But rest assured that our Lord is fair. Whatever sufferings you endure are counted in your favor when stand before the Judgment Seat.
Let us be like the Lazarus (Luke 16) and not complain about our suffering. Lazarus did nothing but you see how greatly he was exalted in God's eyes. It is because not complaining shows great faith and when our prayers seem to go unheard yet we continue all the more we show God our trust in Him.
You can't fit the ocean in a cup ;)
This is a good way to put it, but also for a deeper exploration of this question I found this podcast to be very illuminating. It is actually an EO interviewing a non-Orthodox (so caveat emptor), but still contains a lot of everyday wisdom.
Why do people suffer?
Was it fair for the King of Glory to suffer? Was it fair for a God to be whipped like a dog? Was it fair for the God✞Man to be spat upon by created men?
Was it fair for the source of Life to die?
In this life we all suffer. And sometimes the pain feels so real. But as torturous as it seems in the moment, we have to remember...HE did it first.
We live for HIM...we suffer in honor of HIM...and we will rise victorious with HIM.
We live in a fallen world, and this is not our home. "...what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14).
[quote author=liftmyheart link=topic=12462.msg146059#msg146059 date=1318547937]
Is life fair? I mean, honestly, so many bad things happen to good people, and literally not an ounce of a good thing happens.
When the same Abba Anthony thought about the depth of the judgments of God, he asked, 'Lord, how is it that some die when they are young, while others drag on to extreme old age? Why are there those who are poor and those who are rich? Why do wicked men prosper and why are the just in need?' He heard a voice answering him, 'Anthony, keep your attention on yourself; these things are according to the judgment of God, and it is not to your advantage to know anything about them.
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Read this:
The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
p.s. i'll try to keep searching for the sermon or someway to give information so someone can try to find it ...
To echo what +TheGodChrist+ said, our sufferings are nothing compared to the Creator's. Was God incarnate in the flesh in order to suffer? The age old question of why does God allow suffering …simply because suffering purifies the spirit and the flesh. As westerners say, 'No pain, no gain', so, God’s Word says, “He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver and gold, He will purify the sons of Levi and pour them out as purified gold and silver, and they will bring an offering to the Lord in righteousness..” – Malachi 3:3.
“...but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5: 3-4)
The word suffering from God's perspective leads to Godly perfection. The word suffering from a worldly perspective leads to injustices, complaints and hurt.
If God has given us suffering, we should humbly accept that it is because of our sins, and that it is a blessing to suffer as Jesus has received unfair circumstances most of His years on Earth.
Why is long-suffering listed amongst the fruits of the Spirit? Why would anyone pursue long-suffering amidst those of love, joy and peace? How else is the Spirit perfected without the endurance of suffering and injustices? Just as Jesus Himself, opened not His mouth.
[quote author=liftmyheart link=topic=12462.msg146065#msg146065 date=1318549095]
I am not Lazarus, I'm not that holy. And I'd really love to trust God, but its hard when theres nothing to trust.
The word holy means to be set apart for God. We were set apart for God in the Sacrament of Baptism.
Why should we trust God? One true and obvious reason, He is the Creator and Controller of the universe and all that is in it. Without Him, we would have never been granted the gift of knowing Him.
Another true and obvious reason, is because He loves you.
[quote author=liftmyheart link=topic=12462.msg146065#msg146065 date=1318549095]
I know I sound like I'm complaining, but I honestly never tell anyone anything, I try to be thankful. But you know, its hard to keep in mind that it will all be worth it in judgement, because honestly, I don't think we're supposed to live miserably, and I am. So I don't know.
When we thank God, focusing upon the positives rather than the negatives, we realize that God has blessed us with so much more.
Life is great with God. He never wants us to have miserable lives. Life with God has a different kind of sweetness, a more profound and lasting kind, than that of the world.
Why should we have a worldly perspective on suffering, when we are strangers to the world?
To the point: NO PAIN, NO GAIN.
A famous Apostle once wrote: "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
Live in Christ--in all aspects of Christ's Life.
What do you mean you cant fit the ocean in a cup?
It is a reference to the famous story of St. Augustine wherein the saint is walking along the beach and sees a boy trying to fill a bucket with ocean water. Obviously, the ocean is much bigger than the area of the bucket, so eventually the bucket is full and spills over, unable to hold any more of the ocean. It is then, the story goes, that St. Augustine realizes that we bear a similar relation when considering God: Our conceptions of Him are the like the bucket, only being able to hold the smallest amount of understanding (these are the things we believe, think, say, and write about Him). But God is like the ocean: Without end or beginning, and unable to be contained within our idea of Him or our objections to Him. This helps when considering questions like yours because anything we can ask can only tell us so much, by virtue of our limitations as human beings. We may suffer and come to understand with time some lessons that God has taught us through our suffering that we could not have learned by other means, or we may suffer and never know because it is not for us to know (faith is not in the accumulation of pieces of information, anyway). No matter what happens, it is important not to think we've trapped God or decided that He is useless or mean just because we can only see so much. Part of having faith in difficult circumstances is in believing that God is our refuge from this generation and forever, and whatever He will is what is best. As He brought out streams of water from the rock for His people in the wilderness, He likewise gives us all food in due time. Most of our anguish comes in the waiting, of course, for our time. This is when we must remember that it is he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Synposis: What ILSM said. :)
Yeah, what Dzheremi said... I probably couldn't have attempted to get my answer to sound that good anyway :P
Thanks bro.
I sometimes go through the same thing but God always helps me and gives me joy at the end. The devil fights us with depression and blinds us with lies. This is the verse in the Bible that I needed most and I received it today!
"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."(Romans 5: 3-5)
Father Anthony Messeh said, in the below sermon, that imagine it as this: On January 1st, you had the worst day of your life. You may have gotten in a car crash, lost your house, lost your money, needed heart surgery, or anything else. Nevertheless January 2nd through December 31st were the best days of your life. You won the lottery ten times, you got everything you wanted. At the end of the year, you would say that was the best year of your life. January 1st is your life on earth. The rest is an eternity of joy. This sermon really helped me. Here is the full thing:
http://www.orthodoxsermons.org/sermons/finding-peace-evil