It's Gracie again, my mother is working the next few days and asked me to blog for her.. and I told her I was happy to! I was at my youth group Sunday night and the subject was on pain and suffering. I was very touched by the lesson and that's what I'll be talking about in this post. One of the questions that was asked in my group was why would such a loving God allow people to suffer? I asked myself this over and over.. and I could not come up with a reasonable answer. Finally our leader shared her thoughts. Her opinion was every time we see or hear about people suffering that's another chance to show our faith, and show who "true Christians" really are. There was a girl, Hope Stout who was diagnosed with cancer... She died when she was only 12 years old. She had gone to my church and from what I heard she was such a child of God, smiles and laughs. Well you ask yourself, why would such a loving, giving, mighty and powerful God let such a precious child suffer from cancer? This little girl and the foundation that she started while suffering from cancer has raised millions and millions of dollars for cancer research and other kids with cancer. It's like a rock thrown into a pond and the ripples keep expanding. She was that rock and the ripples are all of the benefits of God's whole plan. For his ways are not our ways.. God has his reasons for everything he does and no one will ever know those reasons. 
2 Corinthians 1:3-6 says.."Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer." Have you ever been through an experience of suffering? Pray to God everyday, and stay strong in your faith. Have joy even if you are suffering and God will eventually make peace. Rejoice to him.. Be still and know that he is God.In His Love,
Gracie
