JOHN 3:16; ROMANS 5:8
No answer seems to completely satisfy when it comes to why God allows pain. Since the dawn of history, mankind has wrestled with this question, only to come up with answers that scarcely satisfy.
Paradoxically, love is one reason why God allows pain. He will allow His creation to go through anything in the name of love; just as He allowed His son, Jesus to die for love’s sake. For Him, love is a higher priority than comfort, enjoyment, and even happiness.
Pain was not part of His original plan. Love, on the other hand, was. God knew that in order for love to exist, free will would also have to exist. In a world where He gave humans the choice to love or hate, He knew some would choose the latter and pain would inevitably be the price. But God chose to not take away His creation’s humanity, even though He knew rape, murder, disease, and tragedy would plague our world. He takes the pains and makes something beautiful of them. And so He constantly offers opportunities for His children to exercise that free will in love towards one another so that some of what has been broken can be remade. Pain offers opportunity for growth in love.
Have we ever wondered why some who go through the worse abusive relationships still remain in them? Many call it foolishness and sometimes I want to think it is. But love changes everything – if not in life, it does in death.
