Category : Articles

Sub Category : Spirituality

One of my friend was pouring out her heart to me about the struggles of raising her 9 year old kid in this challenging environment. I have fears about that for my own kids in future. I shared moments with a father who was afraid to bring a new life into this world fearing the uncertainties and struggles that the added responsibilities would bring into the family. I witnessed tears of struggle that a mother suffered emotionally as she was unable to mould her son into the person she wanted him to be. The sufferings that people go through are real and relatable. 

Suffering - Blessing or curse

Suffering is the state of undergoing pain, distress or hardships . Suffering seems unattractive. No one wants to suffer. A hunt for million ways begin as soon as the trouble strikes life. Our minds are so tuned to long for lives that are strife free. But the quest is useless as suffering is inevitable. 
 
The Pursuit of life without strife
 
Is the pursuit of life without strife achievable?
 
As a teenager, I grew up believing that struggles are a part of life. And I had no other choice but to face them because the circumstances of my family had become worse when my father left home one day, promising to come back in three months. We had been living abundantly happy until then. 
The turn life took back then were only full of obstacles and hurdles. Suffering had become our daily portion. 
I hoped and looked forward to the freedom from the people, place and situations that kept me so low all throughout my schooling as a teenager. I opted for a college far away from hometown thinking that I would leave struggles behind and start afresh. Little did I know that my suffering had nothing to do with people around me, the place I was in and my circumstances. The truth dawned on me that struggles were a part and parcel of my life. 
Now the question was, what did I do with what I went through? Was that phase worth it? What did I gain at the end? Was I a loser? Were my young years gone in vain?
 
There is a time for everything.

Ecclesiastes 3:4, 
"A time to weep,
And a time to laugh.
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance."
 
If God has set time for everything on earth, it is sure that time for weeping, mourning, pain and suffering is also set. Should that scare us? 
 
Leprosy is a deadly disease. One of the major symptoms of the leprosy is decreased or deceased ability to feel pain. This nerve damage may result in a lack of ability to feel pain, which leads to the loss of parts of a person's extremities from repeated injuries or infection due to unnoticed wounds. We think pain is a curse but for lepers pain is a blessing. If only they could feel pain when cut or wounded, would they treat it to heal. Absence of pain suffers them. Just like the absence of darkness would lead to ingratitude of light, absence of heat would lead to unappreciation of cool breeze, absence of sickness would lead to ungrateful attitude towards health, absence of suffering would lead to unnoticed blessings and thankfulness for all the pleasure and comfort we are blessed with. But there is more to it.........
 

Refined and redefined
Just as the moments of pleasure and comfort, happiness and good times are not forever, so is suffering. They are appointed for a time. Going through struggles redefines us. It gives us a new outlook, a new vision, a new character. Every suffering refines us of any impurities within us and helps us to eliminate that which hinders us to be more like our creator. Look back at the times where you have undergone suffering and see how has that changed the 'you' and refined the very quality which made you less of a good human being. Gold does not become pure unless refined by fire. Just as gold that has to go through fire a number of times to be pure, suffering also takes us through that path of cleansing to make us a person of character. 

Take heart
Be encouraged and blessed, you are being molded and shaped into the exact one that your creator, God and Father wants you to be!! 


Dorothy Vineeta
Mobile: 7076265576
dorothyvineetap16@gmail.com