Why Does God Allow Suffering? The Deepest Answer No One Talks About
Riya Kumari | Mar 03, 2025, 23:58 IST
( Image credit : Timeslife )
Highlight of the story: So, let’s get real for a second. Life’s a bit of a circus, isn’t it? You're on your way to the top, feeling like the main character in your own personal romcom (cue the upbeat music, slow-motion hair flip, etc.), and then—wham!—something happens, and suddenly, you’re stuck in a messy situation, wondering why on Earth God didn’t just hit "fast-forward" on the plot of your life. Like, why does He let suffering happen? Seriously. What’s the deal? Shouldn’t the Almighty have a better system in place by now?
Why does suffering exist? Why do we, in all our complexities, endure pain—emotional, physical, or mental? It is one of those questions that has been asked for millennia, yet its answer often feels elusive, as if it is something too deep for human minds to grasp fully. In a world so often obsessed with comfort, where the pursuit of happiness and pleasure dominates, suffering stands as an uncomfortable reminder of life's inherent unpredictability. And when it strikes, it can leave us wondering if there’s any purpose behind it at all. But what if suffering isn’t some random punishment or cosmic mistake? What if it has a deeper role to play in our lives, one that transcends our understanding of what we think life should be?
The first instinct when faced with suffering is to ask why it exists. After all, who wants to experience pain? We naturally recoil from discomfort, from loss, from anything that takes us away from the ease and security we desire. But what if we’ve been asking the wrong question? Instead of focusing on why suffering happens, what if we asked what it reveals to us about the human condition?
Consider this: a life without suffering would be a life without depth. We would be like smooth stones on the surface of the ocean—perfectly shaped, maybe, but with no true understanding of the forces that formed us. Pain forces us to confront our limitations, to rethink what truly matters, and to push beyond the boundaries of our own narrow perspectives.
Without it, we wouldn’t know joy in its fullest, because joy, like anything of value, is only truly appreciated when we understand its contrast with sorrow. Suffering reveals the fragile yet resilient nature of the human spirit. It challenges our identity, tests our beliefs, and shows us what we are made of, even when we feel broken. And in those moments, when everything feels fragile, there is a strange, almost paradoxical strength that arises from within us.
There is a kind of wisdom that only suffering can impart. It is the wisdom that does not come from books, lectures, or even philosophical musings, but from the quiet moments when we face the truth about our lives. We see ourselves clearly—not as we wish we were, but as we truly are, in all our vulnerability and imperfections.
This wisdom is not the kind that is easy to wear, like a shiny new jacket. It is a wisdom born of scars—those emotional, mental, or physical marks that remain long after the pain has passed. And yet, these marks are often the very things that allow us to understand others, to offer compassion, and to feel a sense of connection that is deeper than surface-level interactions. Suffering shapes our capacity for empathy, helping us move beyond the superficial and into something far more meaningful: genuine understanding.
What is troubling about the question of suffering is not the question itself, but the way we sometimes look for easy answers. We want to believe there is a quick fix, a clear path to understanding, something that can explain it all away. But the truth is, some questions don’t have neat, tidy answers. There’s no magic formula that will suddenly make suffering meaningful in a way we can fully comprehend. And that can be uncomfortable.
The world tends to offer us shortcuts to healing—self-help books, affirmations, or philosophies that promise that if we just think positively enough, we’ll transcend the pain. But the reality is far more complex. We cannot bypass the darkness in life and expect to see the light clearly. Healing, growth, and wisdom require the patience of allowing ourselves to be fully present in our suffering, without rushing to escape it.
This is where faith, or a deeper belief in life’s greater meaning, often enters the conversation. Faith isn’t necessarily about believing in a deity, but about trusting that there is something beyond our immediate understanding. It’s the belief that even when life seems chaotic, the universe, or whatever higher power you might believe in, has a sense of order and purpose that we might not see right away.
Here’s the difficult part: we may never fully understand why suffering exists. The question may remain unanswered, and that's something we’ll have to live with. But it is precisely in that uncertainty that we find meaning. Life’s mysteries are not meant to be solved but embraced. The beauty of life is not in its predictability but in its unexpected twists, the moments of awe and wonder that come from facing the unknown.
Suffering teaches us humility, patience, and resilience. It strips us of the illusions of control and forces us to reckon with the things we cannot change. But in that reckoning, we find our humanity. We learn that life is not about avoiding pain but about how we meet it, how we process it, and how we rise from it, stronger and more aware of the richness of the world we live in.
So why does God allow suffering? Maybe it’s because without it, we would never truly understand the beauty of life. Maybe it’s because, in our deepest moments of pain, we discover something far greater than the temporary comforts of life. We discover resilience, love, connection, and a sense of purpose that cannot be forged in easy times. Perhaps the question isn’t why suffering exists, but what we choose to do with it. The choices we make in the face of pain define us, shape us, and, ultimately, offer us a deeper understanding of life itself. In the end, suffering is not just a challenge—it is the doorway through which we find the full depth of what it means to be alive.
1. A Life Without Pain—Would It Really Be Better?
Sad
( Image credit : Pexels )
The first instinct when faced with suffering is to ask why it exists. After all, who wants to experience pain? We naturally recoil from discomfort, from loss, from anything that takes us away from the ease and security we desire. But what if we’ve been asking the wrong question? Instead of focusing on why suffering happens, what if we asked what it reveals to us about the human condition?
Consider this: a life without suffering would be a life without depth. We would be like smooth stones on the surface of the ocean—perfectly shaped, maybe, but with no true understanding of the forces that formed us. Pain forces us to confront our limitations, to rethink what truly matters, and to push beyond the boundaries of our own narrow perspectives.
Without it, we wouldn’t know joy in its fullest, because joy, like anything of value, is only truly appreciated when we understand its contrast with sorrow. Suffering reveals the fragile yet resilient nature of the human spirit. It challenges our identity, tests our beliefs, and shows us what we are made of, even when we feel broken. And in those moments, when everything feels fragile, there is a strange, almost paradoxical strength that arises from within us.
2. The Wisdom Gained from Adversity
Cry
( Image credit : Pexels )
There is a kind of wisdom that only suffering can impart. It is the wisdom that does not come from books, lectures, or even philosophical musings, but from the quiet moments when we face the truth about our lives. We see ourselves clearly—not as we wish we were, but as we truly are, in all our vulnerability and imperfections.
This wisdom is not the kind that is easy to wear, like a shiny new jacket. It is a wisdom born of scars—those emotional, mental, or physical marks that remain long after the pain has passed. And yet, these marks are often the very things that allow us to understand others, to offer compassion, and to feel a sense of connection that is deeper than surface-level interactions. Suffering shapes our capacity for empathy, helping us move beyond the superficial and into something far more meaningful: genuine understanding.
3. The Problem with Seeking Easy Answers
Journey
( Image credit : Pexels )
What is troubling about the question of suffering is not the question itself, but the way we sometimes look for easy answers. We want to believe there is a quick fix, a clear path to understanding, something that can explain it all away. But the truth is, some questions don’t have neat, tidy answers. There’s no magic formula that will suddenly make suffering meaningful in a way we can fully comprehend. And that can be uncomfortable.
The world tends to offer us shortcuts to healing—self-help books, affirmations, or philosophies that promise that if we just think positively enough, we’ll transcend the pain. But the reality is far more complex. We cannot bypass the darkness in life and expect to see the light clearly. Healing, growth, and wisdom require the patience of allowing ourselves to be fully present in our suffering, without rushing to escape it.
This is where faith, or a deeper belief in life’s greater meaning, often enters the conversation. Faith isn’t necessarily about believing in a deity, but about trusting that there is something beyond our immediate understanding. It’s the belief that even when life seems chaotic, the universe, or whatever higher power you might believe in, has a sense of order and purpose that we might not see right away.
4. Embracing the Mystery
Answers
( Image credit : Pexels )
Here’s the difficult part: we may never fully understand why suffering exists. The question may remain unanswered, and that's something we’ll have to live with. But it is precisely in that uncertainty that we find meaning. Life’s mysteries are not meant to be solved but embraced. The beauty of life is not in its predictability but in its unexpected twists, the moments of awe and wonder that come from facing the unknown.
Suffering teaches us humility, patience, and resilience. It strips us of the illusions of control and forces us to reckon with the things we cannot change. But in that reckoning, we find our humanity. We learn that life is not about avoiding pain but about how we meet it, how we process it, and how we rise from it, stronger and more aware of the richness of the world we live in.