I am not protected from harm. I am protected for a purpose.

Recently, I have spent quite a few brain cycles thinking and discussing the idea of suffering. I think it's very easy to fall into some wrong ideas about suffering. Some people beleive that Christians should not suffer, and if you are suffering, then you must be sinning in some way. Obviously, these people have never read Job, or the crucifixtion story, for that matter. Also on that side of the fence are those that say that all suffering is inflicted (as some say) or allowed (as others say) by God in order to prepare us for some purpose. While I think that this is certainly possible, that some suffering could be used by God to prepare a person for some ministry, this does not seem to be universally true. It is very hard to see any benefit to many types of suffering.

My opinion, as I put forward in the opening line, is that suffering happens. Much of it is self-inflicted. But God has a purpose for my life. And nothing that happens to me is going to derail that. The only thing that can get in the way of that is my own disobeiance.