I am writing this for @KittyLinda and for all those who are going through hardship and misery in their lives to encourage and exhort all of you to endure everything in your life till the end for the sake of God.
What is our purpose in life? Why did God put us in this world? In my opinion, it is for us to learn our life lessons through our mistakes and become the best versions of ourselves. By that I don't mean become the wealthiest person with the highest academic degree, accolades and social status. What is highly esteemed among men is an abomination to God (a verse from the Bible) because these things lead us away from God and make us selfish and proud. I mean become the best versions of ourselves in terms of our character and virtues, evidenced by our behavior and lifestyles, regardless of our economic, education and social status.
It is very easy for us, in our misery, to question God's justice and character. Some of us who cannot part with what we have then decide to leave God and choose this world's pleasure. But this choice is not the wise one. What we have in this world is temporary, what we have with God is eternal. To forsake what is eternal for what is temporary is a choice all will regret when they do realise what they have lost.
The ultimate question is why does God allow us and even ask us to endure suffering and misery? First and foremost, we have brought all this suffering onto ourselves when we sin and depart from God. We have become a collectively selfish creation of God because we don't want to listen to God, we don't want Him to exist (atheism) so we can live lives according to our own desires rather than according to God's righteousness. So when we become selfish, we start harming one another and ourselves along the way to meet our own desires. Except for Jesus, a completely selfless Man who didn't live a moment for Himself, not a single person in this world is selfless, and because of this, the Bible declares that NO ONE is righteous. Selfishness is the primary sin of mankind and is the driving force of every crime and war, and because of this primary sin, we will inevitably suffer.
Most importantly, God has given a good purpose for suffering. When we suffer for pursuing righteousness and we suffer injustice, we become a better person as time passes by enduring it and learning from it. We become stronger through endurance, wiser in knowing God's will and more compassionate towards others who also suffer. This is why God did not put an end to suffering, so that we can possess these character traits with time. This ties in with our purpose in life - to become the best versions of ourselves.
God wants to perfect us as individuals so we will be one with Him in heart and mind, and this life of temporary misery is our school. No lesson in a good school is going to be easy to pass, so it is those who endure and persist that gets the honor and reward they deserve. Is it not a worthwhile cause for us to persist in endurance in our tribulations so we receive the honor of a perfected character and crown of eternal life?
What is our purpose in life? Why did God put us in this world? In my opinion, it is for us to learn our life lessons through our mistakes and become the best versions of ourselves. By that I don't mean become the wealthiest person with the highest academic degree, accolades and social status. What is highly esteemed among men is an abomination to God (a verse from the Bible) because these things lead us away from God and make us selfish and proud. I mean become the best versions of ourselves in terms of our character and virtues, evidenced by our behavior and lifestyles, regardless of our economic, education and social status.
It is very easy for us, in our misery, to question God's justice and character. Some of us who cannot part with what we have then decide to leave God and choose this world's pleasure. But this choice is not the wise one. What we have in this world is temporary, what we have with God is eternal. To forsake what is eternal for what is temporary is a choice all will regret when they do realise what they have lost.
The ultimate question is why does God allow us and even ask us to endure suffering and misery? First and foremost, we have brought all this suffering onto ourselves when we sin and depart from God. We have become a collectively selfish creation of God because we don't want to listen to God, we don't want Him to exist (atheism) so we can live lives according to our own desires rather than according to God's righteousness. So when we become selfish, we start harming one another and ourselves along the way to meet our own desires. Except for Jesus, a completely selfless Man who didn't live a moment for Himself, not a single person in this world is selfless, and because of this, the Bible declares that NO ONE is righteous. Selfishness is the primary sin of mankind and is the driving force of every crime and war, and because of this primary sin, we will inevitably suffer.
Most importantly, God has given a good purpose for suffering. When we suffer for pursuing righteousness and we suffer injustice, we become a better person as time passes by enduring it and learning from it. We become stronger through endurance, wiser in knowing God's will and more compassionate towards others who also suffer. This is why God did not put an end to suffering, so that we can possess these character traits with time. This ties in with our purpose in life - to become the best versions of ourselves.
God wants to perfect us as individuals so we will be one with Him in heart and mind, and this life of temporary misery is our school. No lesson in a good school is going to be easy to pass, so it is those who endure and persist that gets the honor and reward they deserve. Is it not a worthwhile cause for us to persist in endurance in our tribulations so we receive the honor of a perfected character and crown of eternal life?
