Small Thoughts on Suffering

Nearly every human will admit to some sort of suffering, whether in their body, mind or spirit, or, in relationships with other humans.  Most often, we as humans view suffering as bad, that is, the pain overshadows and at times interferes with our ability to creatively think how in the world could this hurtful body or painful situation result in good.

Herein lies the problem with our small human minds: small thoughts on suffering are the result. I will not defend in this post mankind's technological progress nor it's scientific understanding of our world and the universe.  The plain fact is that we just do not know everything.  Blaise Pascal, the brilliant French mathematician and physicist, was quoted as saying, "Since we cannot know all that there is to be known about anything, let us know a little bit about everything."

Dilemma, isn't it?

Fortuitously, mankind was given, as a gift, the answer.  No, not as a scientific discovery or math equation, neither an excavation of an ancient civilization or newly created substance is the answer derived. The answer arrived apart from our doing, from the One who existed before time began.

For brevity's sake, the One is the Eternal, Triune God, three persons yet of one substance and not created. We owe our life to Him, whether we acknowledge or believe it to be true. "In him we live and move and have our being" reads Acts of the Apostles, chapter 17, verse 28, from the Sacred Scriptures, the Holy Bible.

"What is truth?" asked Pilate, ruler of Judea, responding to Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, not realizing that here in front of him stood the Truth .  Relativism rules today, at least in our culture, and in our small minds.  Yet, the Sovereign God rules over heaven and earth.  Illusion rules otherwise.

Back to suffering...our view of the world determines how we understand suffering.  Views vary, but the only one that makes sense, the one to which I return is God's revelation.  He alone makes sense of suffering:  a sin problem exists (God sets the boundaries - obey and flourish; disobey and die) and we, as mankind have rebelled against him. Suffering, as opposed to flourishing in life with God, is the end result.

It's our own doing, starting with Adam and Eve believing God was holding out on them, not giving them the best, rebelling, and continuing throughout history to today. The only way out of it, God says, is bloodshed, wrath and death.  Because we could never give what God needs for the atoning of our sins, He provides the answer to our sin problem:  He gives Himself.

The historical Jesus, the Christ, born to a virgin, living a sinless and righteous life (yes, he obeyed his earthly parents just as His Heavenly Father), suffering, being crucified and resurrected - God in the flesh.  Fully human, fully God.  How this can be is agreed upon through the centuries to be a mystery, yet God revealed this truth through His Word.

Even 500 to 600 years prior to Christ's crucifixion, the words of Isaiah (53:4-6) prophesied the brutal suffering of Christ and result for us.

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. ⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Again, for the sake of space, I'll cut to the end.  Our sin and hostility to God were borne by Christ.  He is the "he" and "him" in the quote from Isaiah above.  Do you believe Christ atoned for your sins and there's nothing you can do to stay the wrath and judgment of God?  If so, salvation, peace, eternal life and so much more are yours.

Suffering...unemployment, broken relationships with sisters and brothers, terminal disease, lifelong illness, unsaved family, homeless, abused...Christ suffered and He continues to suffer with us.  Baffling.  No other "god" makes this claim. In this context only is suffering and the ability to bear up under it made possible because the One who bore our sins continues to bear us, upholding us by His grace and mercy.

May you see with eyes of faith this Holy Week the One, the Christ, who alone takes away the sins of the world, and suffers today with His children.

-CFM

Update to My Review of CollegePlus!

Well, a surprising amount of people have viewed my little post about CollegePlus! (CP!) so after some nudging from my dad, I am writing an update. As a brief background: I graduated from with my Bachelor of Arts in Communication with the aid of CP! in June 2008, just 2 years after first enrolling.

I took some much needed rest and recuperation.  I studied intensely during my degree and was quite burnt out by the time I was done. I didn't want to read another textbook, or any book for that matter! And I certainly had no desire to continue my education. I had my degree and I was done, thank you very much. I wanted nothing more to do with book learning. However, God had other plans.

We took a vacation to visit family at the end of May 2008 and during one of our many excursions we listened to a CD where the panel was discussing the fact that some Christians were getting Master's degrees in Literature to help them understand Scripture since the Bible is primarily poetry and stories. I thought since I loved literature that I would love to get a degree in that area. I returned from our vacation surprisingly interested in continuing my education! I poked around the Internet to see what I could find in terms of Master's degrees.

I searched for months on and off, finding very little that met my requirements. Again, I looked for an online program; plus, it had to be affordable. I looked for literature, English, and humanities degrees but nothing was turning up.

Then in December of 2008, my mom providentially inquired at the local public library the requirements for becoming a librarian. The clerk explained that a Master's degree was required to be a librarian. Say what?! I had no idea; my mother had no idea. Amazed by this encounter, I went online and searched the American Library Association website. They have a very helpful search engine which allows users to narrow down schools. I limited the results to online programs. I think I looked through every single program on the list.

Long story short, there was only one program that stuck out: The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. I contacted the school and learned what the program required. Each year only about 40 new students are selected to participate in The School of Library and Information Studies' Master's program for librarianship. I was informed that only about one (1) out of four (4) applicants were selected. Statistically speaking, I had about a 25% chance of acceptance but I felt this was where God wanted me to apply so I moved forward.

I had to send in references, official transcripts from Thomas Edison State College, my statement of purpose, and GRE scores. The due date for the application was April 2009. This was all taking place in December 2008. I immediately began studying for the GRE. The GRE if you do not know is similar to the SATs but for Master's programs. CP! definitely helped prepare me for studying this massive exam. I did well, submitted my results and simply waited.

Oh! Another amazing event was the fact that I got a job at a fast-casual restaurant just up the road from my house, something I would need very much to pay for tuition. I got the job at the beginning of April 2009; at the end of April 2009, I had been officially accepted into the University of Alabama's online cohort for a Master's in Library and Information Studies (MLIS). I could not believe it! Scared, excited, shocked. My "unconventional" degree from Thomas Edison was not a hindrance at all to getting accepted. In fact, I was quite comfortable learning in an online environment thanks to my experience through CP! and Thomas Edison.

Two years later I am on the verge of graduating with my Master's. I have been able to complete six (6) years of schooling in four (4) years, thanks to the route God provided through CP!. My graduate studies have been difficult and stretching but extremely rewarding. Moreover, I have been grateful for this validation of my undergrad degree. I always wondered if my degree was really acceptable and if it would be good enough for further education. I am here to tell you it is. CP!'s program is a legitimate course for obtaining a Bachelor's degree and is in no way a hindrance to obtaining a Master's degree. The self-discipline, -motivation, and -education that occurred with my undergrad was very helpful for succeeding at the graduate level; here, professors expect that you are self-motivated and self-disciplined.

I must insert here a plug for the University of Alabama's MLIS program. It is affordable, convenient, and most importantly, very well run. The faculty here are wonderful and I cannot say enough good things about the 43 people I entered the program with. As a cohort, we were required to visit the campus for about four (4) days for an intense orientation, just one more benefit of the program. This was an opportunity to meet the faculty, school director, and my fellow cohort members. The cohort moved through the required courses together, building friendships and contacts for when we enter the profession. It was huge to have a group of people who were going through the program with me that I could talk to, ask questions of, suffer with (only half-joking). I am planning on attending graduation ceremonies in August of this year because I love the faculty, the cohort (which I am hoping to see a few of them at graduation), and the campus of the University of Alabama. Here is the link to the website: http://www.slis.ua.edu/

God has been faithful and gracious during my education. It has not always been easy and I will admit to complaining at times when it got tough. But now, on the other end, I am incredibly grateful. I hope to find a job working either in a public library or an academic library. Jobs are relatively scarce since many people are looking for positions. Then again, this whole process has been one entirely orchestrated by God. What do I have to worry about, right?

I do hope this is encouraging for all who have are either considering, in the midst of completing, or have graduated from CollegePlus! As always, I welcome comments and will try to answer them the best I can.

--HM