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Why do believers suffer?

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  Why Do Believers Suffer? 1. The Question Why do believers suffer? Not as a theological puzzle, but as a lived ache. If God is good, and I am faithful — why is this happening? 2. The Human Angle You pray. You serve. You try to live with integrity. And still — the diagnosis comes. The betrayal lands. The grief floods in. You wonder: Did I do something wrong? Is God angry? Is this a test? A punishment? A mystery? 3. The Inquiry Scripture doesn’t shy away from suffering. It names it, wrestles with it, dignifies it. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble.” Paul wrote, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed.” James said, “Consider it joy… because suffering produces perseverance.” Peter reminded us: suffering refines faith like fire refines gold. The reasons vary: We live in a broken world. We suffer the consequences of others’ choices. We are shaped through hardship. We are disciplined, not punished. We are prepared for deeper compassion....
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Guest post from Arthur Yavelberg: Vengeance, Justice, Forgiveness, and Love

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  Romans 12:19  Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “Vengeance is mine, thus saith the Lord." I see a lot of memes and comments to the effect that "God is love" and, while the OT is all about retributive justice, the NT is about forgiveness and loving our enemies. Biblical verses to the contrary are dismissed as "metaphors" or primitive human interjections. At first I have my usual reactions. "How is it that Hell as a place of eternal punishment for sin appears many times in the NT but not at all in the OT?" There is also the typical "Isn't it awfully convenient for Scriptures we like to be taken literally while those we don't like should not?" Then there is the philosophical question of justice. "Shall not the Creator of all the world do justly?" (Gen. 18:26) Exactly what happens to justice in such forgiveness and love scenarios? Today I did have a different thought, tho...
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How Parents Cope with the Suicide of a Child

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  There is no grief like the grief of losing a child. And when that loss is by suicide, the pain carries layers that are difficult even to name — shock, guilt, anger, confusion, love that has nowhere to go. Parents often describe it as a wound that changes shape over time but never fully disappears. This post is inspired by the experiences shared in the book you published, where parents speak honestly about the aftermath of suicide. Their stories are not about “moving on.” They are about learning to live with the unthinkable. What Goes Through a Parent’s Mind Parents often cycle through thoughts that feel overwhelming and contradictory: “Why didn’t I see it?” Many parents replay the final days or weeks, searching for signs they missed. This is a natural response, but it often assumes a level of control no one truly has. “I should have stopped it.” Parents frequently blame themselves, even when they did everything humanly possible. Suicide is complex, and no single person — ...
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