Did you ever think that absent pain and suffering in the world, we would lose much of our ability to be great?
I think this is probably true.
I mean:
- No great lives would exist.
- We would lose these 5 things.
- And you might not even exist.
Just please, don’t ever expect to understand everything.
You probably won’t.
Why would you assume that you would?
Without the possibility of suffering, practically every great true story in history would be false. No one would ever have made a significant sacrifice for anyone else. No great moments of forgiveness and reconciliation. No opportunities to stand for justice against injustice. No compassion (because nothing to be compassionate about); no courage (because no dangerous situations requiring courage); no heroes. No such thing as “lay[ ing] down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15: 13).
-Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale, Why Suffering?