踏出自己步伐

　　As far as I know, many people ask, why does God allow people to suffer? Whenever we open the newspaper, we read about suffering such as accidents, earthquakes, fire, murder…and so on. Bad people, as well as good people, go through these situations. Why? Why does God allow good people to suffer? I would like to propose three answers to this question.

　　First, God has his purpose. Whatever suffering we go through, we somehow learn from it. God teaches us through the suffering He gives us, and sometimes lets us see that He gives suffering for our future good. For example, Joseph in the Old Testaments was betrayed, sold by his own brothers, thrown into jail for wring, and forgotten by someone who could save him. God taught him to be humble, and always do right. Pharaoh honored Joseph by making him a ruler over Egypt. God also had another purpose for Joseph's sufferings: After he was honored, he saved his family from the big famine.

　　Second, God has His timing. He knows when we are ready for suffering. An example of this would be Job in the Old Testaments, God did not give Job the suffering when he was young. He did not give Job the suffering when he was just starting his family. Job suffered loss of everything when he was living a good life. God wanted Job to focus on Him, and to know that the devil could use his fears to destroy him. God knew that Job was ready for the test and that he will remember the lesson clearly. Likewise, the bible says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" (I Corinthians 10:13). God knows everything about us. He knows what time we should suffer, and how much we can take.

　　Last but not least, God has His love. God is our Heavenly Father. He looks after us and teaches us with love. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, we all have sin in our nature. "For the wages of sin is death…"(Romans 6:23). No one deserves to live, but God loves us and wants us to know His love. He preserved the family of Noah, otherwise, no humans would be on earth, neither would I be writing this essay.

　　God is the Almighty One. Though we do not know what lies ahead, He knows the path before us. We should humble ourselves and let Him guide us. We should remember that He is full of love, He knows what we need and what is food for us. We shouldn't blame others when suffering occurs. We should consider what we have, and remember suffering when it is gone. Likewise, I Peter 5:10 says, "God…after you suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast". We should always remember that suffering is for our good!

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2001年參加CLEC寫的
學英文的部分後來參加'作文班'寫的 ^^