Why Do We Suffer?

"You must not under any pretense allow your mind to dwell on any thought that is not positive, constructive, optimistic, kind" - Emmet Fox


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It's easy to feel pity for ourselves when it appears the world has come down on us. We refuse to see anything else other than gloom from our sad experiences; it's a normal human tendency.
Finding themselves in the same boat, three women sat at a garden drinking coffee on a warm Sunday morning. "I did everything right, yet I'm a lonely, miserable maiden," said Tina the hostess of the pity party, as she mopped tears from her eyes."Oh, mine's worse," cried Lina, "I'm unemployed and in debt. Worse still, I'm battling breast cancer." When they turned to their friend who'd just lost all her kids in a plane crash, she said, "I'm enjoying the birdsong and the weather so much, I can't even remember the things that aren't right in my life."
Someone once said: "the soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears"

We often wonder why suffering is allowed in the lives of good people. But suffering isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes problems are used to teach us the essence of compassion. In our suffering we also learn to deal with life's problems. While some of us might choose to dwell on the "why-me side of things", the rest of us can choose to focus on the bright side of life.

Trials and tribulations are usually blessings in disguises. They, usually, force us to dig deep within our souls in search of a new meaning for our lives. Instead of asking, "Why is God punishing me?" Perhaps, you can ask, "What am I to learn from all of this?" There seems to be a message in every tough situation, if only we listen carefully enough. The truth is nothing happens for the sake of it. It might be difficult to learn positively from every bad experience but you can, with the love and guidance of wiser people.

In facing tough times, we should be willing to see the bright side of things and focus on improving and moral characters things. In doing this, our outlook on life will be improved. Praying frequently and studying are valuable tools for dealing with tough times.

Be determined to acquire new virtues at the end of each trial. Notice how kids become smarter with each bad experience. They are young and naive, too trusting of the people around them. Life works like every loving parent who would stop their child from putting his hand on a hot stove. The child "suffers" at the moment by being denied access and by the temporary pain of a spanking. But the parent sees the "big picture" and disciplines the child. So, too, can Life discipline us so that we learn to think critically about bigger decisions; this is a call to see tough times differently; as new opportunities to learn and become wiser.

It is wrong to assume that people in tough situations incurred the wrath of a higher power upon themselves. Hardships are probably a call to be more compassionate, even with ourselves. Suffering ought not to elicit judgemental attitudes from us, rather, it ought to teach us compassion and love and empathy.

 Showing these emotions to the suffering is part of the beginning of true rebirth.

What Do You See II

Wisdom Nugget: "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."

                                                                                                              -  Helen Keller

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The difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is the way you use them" and Duke Ellington said that a problem is a chance for you to do your best." I couldn't have agreed any better with Duke Ellington, if I wasn't acquainted already with the story of Thomas Edison, who after failing about ten thousand times in a particular venture, used his failures as stepping stones to achieving his very desire. What do you see, when you experience difficulties and unpleasant experiences, disappointments, and so on? Do you see with the eyes of faith or you see with the eyes of fear and resentment? It's important to understand that there's no successful man without a groaning story, because its experiences such as that that lead to them to their glorious stories.

Hear this. Everyone on top today didn't get there with success after success. More often than not, those who history best remembers were faced with numerous obstacles that forced them to work harder and show more determination than others. Next time you're feeling down about your failures in college or in a career, keep these famous people in mind and remind yourself that sometimes failure is just the first step towards success. You may not have heard of Akio Morita, but you've undoubtedly heard of his company, Sony. Sony's first product was a rice cooker that unfortunately didn't cook rice so much as burns it, selling less than 100 units. This first setback didn't stop Morita and his partners as they pushed forward to create a multi-billion dollar company. Today Disney rakes in billions from merchandise, movies and theme parks around the world, but Walt Disney himself had a bit of a rough start. He was fired by a newspaper editor because, "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas." After that, Disney started a number of businesses that didn't last too long and ended with bankruptcy and failure. He kept plugging along, however, and eventually found a recipe for success that worked. Less Brown, the renowned motivational speaker, was turned down for a job severally but he, in the midst of all that rejection took his stumbling blocks as stepping stones. You too can do the same if you can see the good in every bad situation you encounter.

Malcolm S. Forbes said that when things are bad, we take comfort in the thought that they could always get worse. And when they are, we find hope in the thought that things are so bad they have to get better. "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it change the way you think about it. - Mary Engelbreit.

Whatever you believe or think in your heart (about your circumstances), comes to pass, and so it's required that we see and confess positively, even in difficult times, for life and death are in the power of the tongue.

What Do You See? Change Your Goggles

Wisdom Nugget: "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..."



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Our perspective of certain circumstances is enough to either motivate or demoralize us or anyone close to us for that matter.

The aforementioned nugget can be paraphrased to mean "what you think about a situation is how it turns out to be". If you think it is favourable, it'll turn out favourable, but if you don't think it is, then it won't. In other words, it means that two people going through the same situation can both end up having different results depending on what they believe and how they see it. Ever heard the saying, "the grass looks greener on the other side"? I dare say that you can actually make the grass on your side greener, by simply thinking and believing it is.

One day, a very wealthy man took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days andnights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" "It was great, Dad." "Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked. "Oh yeah," said the son. "So, tell me, what did you learn from, the trip?" asked the father. The son answered "first, I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon, daddy, continued the kid, "We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. "We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. "We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them." The boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

How do you consider your life's circumstances? How do you see the obstacles life puts in your path? Do you see them as stepping stones or stumbling blocks? Are they for your promotion or do you think that they are meant to kill you? Remember these words of wisdom: "A fool's mouth is his ruin. His lips are a trap to his soul."

We should "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion..."

Seeing life's situations differently—not just looking at the surface—will change your view of your circumstances. Suddenly, things will seem clearer than you've ever seen before. This hapens because you stopped looking through the eyes of fear, but have started seeing with the eyes of faith. You'll start to see differently when you stop looking with your negative expectations.