🌿 Why God Allows Suffering: A Reflection Through The Book of Job
I dedicate this to every family who has had to endure the loss of a child. I am only a layperson, inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak the truth I believe in. For I, too, am suffering from a spinal cord injury, and I am still trying to make sense of it. My words are not those of a scholar, but of someone who has wrestled with pain and faith, and who has found in the Book of Job a mirror for our struggles.
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The Question No Parent Wants to Face
Few questions pierce the heart more deeply than: “Why would God allow a child to suffer with cancer?” For many, the instinct is to see it as a curse, a cruel twist of fate. Yet Scripture, and especially the Book of Job, invites us to see suffering not as meaningless punishment, but as a mystery that reveals our dependence on God.
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Job’s Story: A Mirror for Us All
Job was a man who “feared God and shunned evil.” Yet he lost everything—his children, his wealth, his health. His friends insisted it must be punishment. Job himself cried out in anguish, demanding answers. But the turning point comes when Job realizes that faith is not about controlling outcomes, but about trusting God even when life feels unbearable.
Job’s story is not ancient history—it is every person’s story. His suffering mirrors the questions we ask today: Why me? Why my child? Why now? And his perseverance shows us that faith is not unfettered by pain, but refined through it.
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Suffering as a Reminder of Dependence
When a child suffers, it is not because God delights in pain. Rather, suffering reminds us that we are not self-sufficient. It awakens us to the truth that we need God—not only for healing, but for hope. In Catholic tradition, this is called redemptive suffering: the belief that pain, when united with Christ’s cross, can carry meaning beyond what we see.
A child’s suffering, as unbearable as it is, can become a testimony of faith. It shows that even the smallest and most vulnerable can carry burdens that others cannot. Their endurance becomes a living reminder that God’s mercy is greater than human weakness.
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If There Were No Suffering…
If there were no pain, no suffering, no evil, would we feel the need for God? Job’s story suggests that suffering is not only a test of faith, but also a revelation: without it, we might mistake ourselves for self-reliant. With it, we discover that our lives are sustained by grace.
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A Universal Lesson
The Book of Job should relate to everyone—not just the devout, not just the suffering. It speaks to the human condition itself. We all face losses, doubts, and unanswered questions. Job teaches us that faith is not about perfection, but about persistence. It is about clinging to God when everything else falls away.
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Closing Reflection
Suffering is not a curse. It is a mystery that calls us back to dependence on God. Whether it is Job in the ashes, a child in a hospital bed, or ourselves in the quiet struggles of daily life, the lesson is the same: God’s mercy is greater than our pain, and His presence is revealed most clearly when we have nothing else to hold onto
