Why should good people suffer? After all, they are those who do not hesitate to show compassion to others. Some are peace makers and others are selfless in nature. Why then should they suffer?
A friend once recounted the story of her neighbor. This neighbor came from a poor background and suffered hardships as a young lady. She later got married to an older man who abused her in the relationship. She bore six children in her marriage, whom she suffered to raise after her abusive spouse died.When her kids were all trained and working, she developed a terminal illness and eventually died. Friends and relatives wailed and mourned her death. Why didn't God permit her to live long so as to enjoy the success of her children? It seems as if she was born just to suffer. Is it a curse to do good? At least, can't the good be spared the burden of suffering, instead have the wicked be made to suffer instead.
Let us not forget though that "God does not desire the death of a sinner" and could give one repeated opportunities on earth to repent. Also, God did say in the bible that "there will be great rejoicing in heaven if one sinner on earth repents." A sinner could be so dead in sin that he cannot save himself, and would need some interventions-the prayers and mortification of the just to pull and rouse him toward the path of repentance. This leads me to the next step-what are the effects of human suffering?
Human suffering can sometimes result from us being held accountable to pay for our transgressions. Other times, it can occur as a means of atonement, not necessarily for our sins, but for the sins of other erring souls whom God wants to convert. In the bible, God said that " if you want to be my disciple, you have to pick up your cross and follow me." Jesus Christ too did suffer a lot in the world before he died. He walked around bare footed and preached the gospel. He cured the lame, healed the blind, fed the hungry, raised the dead. Was unjustly tried and condemned by some of his beneficiaries to die a horrific death on the cross. When he called on God the Father to take away his chalice (suffering) on the cross, an angel of God was sent to console him instead, since the redemptive suffering must continue till the cup of atonement was full. He had to suffer and die for humanity to be redeemed, so that he could open the gates of heaven to all. Let us not forget that he is a typical example of a just man suffering. All sufferings, especially those borne by the just, when joined to that of Christ sends all heaven into ecstasy, since it has such huge atoning and redemptive effect.
Let us not just focus on Jesus, but talk about the lives of saints. Saints are those holy men and women who lived, and heroically suffered deprivation, and sometimes were killed for the faith. They fought bravely, died and are now saints in heaven. Let us focus on the later day saints because we recognize them, since they died not long ago, hence we can identify with them. Take Mother Teresa of Calcutta as an example-She lived poverty to the core, suffered self inflicted suffering and deprivation for the faith. In fact, during her life time, many called her the living saint because she rescued the wretched and abandoned, begged for alms with which to house, feed and clothe them. Her suffering was what earned her the sainthood. Another confirmation that suffering in essence, is not spared the just.
The way the world sees and interprets suffering these days makes it look as if it is something that should be despised. The world is a transitory place, provided as a preparatory ground to earn entrance into God's eternal home for us. Let us be the wise virgins who filled our lamps with oil, who stood firm and prepared for the coming of the lamb. In life, we must drink of the cup God sends us, whether it be (sweet) successes, or (bitter) suffering. The saints that made it to heaven did not do so on a platter of gold, but rather through the narrow, and rugged road that leads to heaven. Whether we are worthy or unworthy, when going through the furnace of suffering, our prayers and songs should be, welcome be the holy will of God.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Friday, February 17, 2017
How Do We Bear Suffering?
Suffering is any form of discomfort that we feel. Some suffering is cast upon us by others, others by nature. Some though are self inflicted. Regardless, all suffering hurts.
Take for example the suffering some feel in their work places. It could be at certain times we have an impossible boss. Despite all you do, or try to accomplish he/she still complains. In spite of all the targets you meet, he still pokes holes at your work. How do we bear such suffering? Should we simply throw in the towel and walk out as a result of such burden? Or do we stay steadfast, unruffled, and continue to steer the course? What of when you are in charge of a project and your co-workers consistently look for ways to derail your work? What is the best action to take under this circumstance? Should we stand or run? Should we cry and crumble under the yoke?
What of when a loved one is sick and we cannot do much to alleviate that suffering? Other times it could be it is a sickness that is difficult to diagnose, or perhaps we lack money with which to obtain medical care for them. What of the pains of a mother, or any parent who cannot provide food and shelter for their family? We also remember the homeless who sleep on the streets, including some poor countries where children feed out of the trash? How can they bear their suffering in certain circumstances when the rulers have hijacked all the means of production/industry and assigned them only to their relatives, whilst the rest of the populace wallow in abject poverty?
What of the suffering borne by people who have difficult spouses who hammer on them all the time and make their lives some living hell? What of the suffering of children who are made to face the fights and eventually the separation caused by broken homes? Remember parents who face the challenges posed by disobedient children, who persist on their evil paths and refuse to tow the ways of righteousness, regardless of how hard their parents try.Yet, other times we suffer as a result of some wrong choices we made in life, like joining gangs, doing drugs, being lured into prostitution, and the likes.
The gratifying aspect about suffering though is that every person in the world suffers in one way or the other. Are the rich spared from suffering, not at all? Though they have monetary aggrandizement does not mean they can not suffer from loneliness, break up of a relationship and any other stresses that life can pose. Did Jesus Christ not suffer? Of course He did. No one is spared of suffering. It is how we bear it that matters.
One thing though about any form of suffering is that for a start, we have to learn how to bear them. How can we bear suffering, when many times, as a result of our weak, human nature they tend to overwhelm us? Our suffering can be borne when we consistently take them to God. He is that one being who can help us bear our burdens, for did not Christ say in the bible, "Come to me all ye that are heavily burdened, take up your yoke and learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart, for my yoke is easy and my burden light".
That we hand our burdens to Jesus Christ, and petition Him daily does not mean that we don't endeavor every day to look for ways to work around an impossible boss, or that we do not continue to look for genuine ways to alleviate our poverty, that we don't continue to strive for ways to turn around an impossible child, or when erring, that we shouldn't strive to correct our wrongful paths, or stop looking for ways to get along with a challenging spouse. We are also called on to unite the pains of our suffering to the suffering Christ endured during his life on earth, and those of the early martyrs who died for the faith. That way, our suffering is not wasted, but gets spiritualized. With Christ on our side though, we are daily inspired on how to solve some of our problems.The remainder that are not alleviated, it means that God wants us to continue to carry them a while longer. Do not waver though because you will eventually prevail, because His grace alone is sufficient.
Take for example the suffering some feel in their work places. It could be at certain times we have an impossible boss. Despite all you do, or try to accomplish he/she still complains. In spite of all the targets you meet, he still pokes holes at your work. How do we bear such suffering? Should we simply throw in the towel and walk out as a result of such burden? Or do we stay steadfast, unruffled, and continue to steer the course? What of when you are in charge of a project and your co-workers consistently look for ways to derail your work? What is the best action to take under this circumstance? Should we stand or run? Should we cry and crumble under the yoke?
What of when a loved one is sick and we cannot do much to alleviate that suffering? Other times it could be it is a sickness that is difficult to diagnose, or perhaps we lack money with which to obtain medical care for them. What of the pains of a mother, or any parent who cannot provide food and shelter for their family? We also remember the homeless who sleep on the streets, including some poor countries where children feed out of the trash? How can they bear their suffering in certain circumstances when the rulers have hijacked all the means of production/industry and assigned them only to their relatives, whilst the rest of the populace wallow in abject poverty?
What of the suffering borne by people who have difficult spouses who hammer on them all the time and make their lives some living hell? What of the suffering of children who are made to face the fights and eventually the separation caused by broken homes? Remember parents who face the challenges posed by disobedient children, who persist on their evil paths and refuse to tow the ways of righteousness, regardless of how hard their parents try.Yet, other times we suffer as a result of some wrong choices we made in life, like joining gangs, doing drugs, being lured into prostitution, and the likes.
The gratifying aspect about suffering though is that every person in the world suffers in one way or the other. Are the rich spared from suffering, not at all? Though they have monetary aggrandizement does not mean they can not suffer from loneliness, break up of a relationship and any other stresses that life can pose. Did Jesus Christ not suffer? Of course He did. No one is spared of suffering. It is how we bear it that matters.
One thing though about any form of suffering is that for a start, we have to learn how to bear them. How can we bear suffering, when many times, as a result of our weak, human nature they tend to overwhelm us? Our suffering can be borne when we consistently take them to God. He is that one being who can help us bear our burdens, for did not Christ say in the bible, "Come to me all ye that are heavily burdened, take up your yoke and learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart, for my yoke is easy and my burden light".
That we hand our burdens to Jesus Christ, and petition Him daily does not mean that we don't endeavor every day to look for ways to work around an impossible boss, or that we do not continue to look for genuine ways to alleviate our poverty, that we don't continue to strive for ways to turn around an impossible child, or when erring, that we shouldn't strive to correct our wrongful paths, or stop looking for ways to get along with a challenging spouse. We are also called on to unite the pains of our suffering to the suffering Christ endured during his life on earth, and those of the early martyrs who died for the faith. That way, our suffering is not wasted, but gets spiritualized. With Christ on our side though, we are daily inspired on how to solve some of our problems.The remainder that are not alleviated, it means that God wants us to continue to carry them a while longer. Do not waver though because you will eventually prevail, because His grace alone is sufficient.
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Of Cell Phones in Schools
Cell phones are such great inventions. We have all types to choose from-Samsung and i Phones and the likes. Many families use them and they are good for easy communication. Shortly after their inception, some families started purchasing them for use by their children. The excuse was that they needed easy access to their children. Terrific.
It sounds okay that students and parents be in direct communication so they can keep in touch. The problem in schools though, especially in middle and high schools, is that students bring their cell phones into the classroom. They carry these around even when lessons are going on. This constitutes a huge distraction to such students. What actually happens is that a sizable number of students turn their cell phones on and use them to chat, or text friends even when classes are in session. How can serious studies take place under this situation when such culprits switch between class lessons/work and their cell phones?
Apart from the culprits, the use of cell phones is a distraction to other students who want to learn. Many students who do not do well in class fall under the category of cell phone users. Some are even audacious to refuse to put away their phones when requested by their teachers. Such gross disobedience, if not addressed and curtailed, would lead to further drop in test scores. More and more students are becoming addicted to their cell phones and the number of students who carry their cell phones into the class increases by the day.
This is gradually turning into a national crisis. Serious conversations should be held between the parent/teacher associations as to which way forward. Previous to students being permitted to bring cell phones into the class, what obtained years back was that students were allowed when they request to use the main office, counselors' phones, or their teachers' class phones to communicate with parents. At that time, more sanity reigned in the classrooms because cell phones were not permitted. However, some defenders of cell phone use by students in school say students can use their cell phones to access the internet to conduct research and class work. That is not a good excuse because there are computers in many classrooms in school, plus the library, technology labs, where students can do research. If the school board steps in to ban the use of cell phones in schools, they will be amazed at how this act will positively affect students' behavior, as well as test scores. I hope that parents too join hands to advocate to support this measure.
It sounds okay that students and parents be in direct communication so they can keep in touch. The problem in schools though, especially in middle and high schools, is that students bring their cell phones into the classroom. They carry these around even when lessons are going on. This constitutes a huge distraction to such students. What actually happens is that a sizable number of students turn their cell phones on and use them to chat, or text friends even when classes are in session. How can serious studies take place under this situation when such culprits switch between class lessons/work and their cell phones?
Apart from the culprits, the use of cell phones is a distraction to other students who want to learn. Many students who do not do well in class fall under the category of cell phone users. Some are even audacious to refuse to put away their phones when requested by their teachers. Such gross disobedience, if not addressed and curtailed, would lead to further drop in test scores. More and more students are becoming addicted to their cell phones and the number of students who carry their cell phones into the class increases by the day.
This is gradually turning into a national crisis. Serious conversations should be held between the parent/teacher associations as to which way forward. Previous to students being permitted to bring cell phones into the class, what obtained years back was that students were allowed when they request to use the main office, counselors' phones, or their teachers' class phones to communicate with parents. At that time, more sanity reigned in the classrooms because cell phones were not permitted. However, some defenders of cell phone use by students in school say students can use their cell phones to access the internet to conduct research and class work. That is not a good excuse because there are computers in many classrooms in school, plus the library, technology labs, where students can do research. If the school board steps in to ban the use of cell phones in schools, they will be amazed at how this act will positively affect students' behavior, as well as test scores. I hope that parents too join hands to advocate to support this measure.
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Of Baby Mama Syndrome
I often wonder how wonderful it is of God to have created men and women. Such thoughtfulness that went into that creation, because it takes both to start a family. Women have such trustful and caring natures that help them nurture humanity, especially children, to growth and development. Many fathers on their part are generally good protectors and providers. No wonder many girls love and trust their dads for protection and provision, and many times that trust is transferred to any man that later come into their lives.
The truth of the matter is that certain men could take advantage of such gullible girls, whom they sometimes put into the family way, under the pretext that marriage lurks around the corner. Those promised marriages often do not materialize over time, because those promises are mostly built on falsehoods. Likewise, some women too purposely get pregnant, so as to trick certain men into marrying them. Such women either desperately want to answer married, or are looking for men who they can hold responsible to pay child support-in other words, they are looking for someone to be their meal tickets. Many times too, such ambitions never come to fruition. The result is that these women remain as single mothers, now nick-named baby mamas.
Every woman should know that she deserves better, and should bargain better so as not to subject herself as a prey to such predators. Neither should any man let himself be tricked into being a baby daddy to any woman. For both sexes, baby children would not occur if we all observe what is called abstinence. We should never commence on any job we cannot finish. If she is not good enough for you to marry, don't go into any form of a pretentious relationship with her and vice versa. When we do, the resultant effect is the ton of single families we see today.
The effect of this insanity-many children who run the streets. Another result is the number of children who drop out of school. Yet still, in schools, children who are problematic mostly come from single parents. It is very challenging for a couple to raise children, talk less when it is done by one parent. That one parent is too stretched with work, obligations, etc to have enough time to cater and supervise the children. The worst of all is that many times, the children of baby mamas grow up to be baby mamas, or baby daddies. What else does one expect, after all, they learn from their surroundings, and don't forget that a fruit does not fall far from the tree.
When will this madness stop? It will begin to abate when parents empower their children by explaining to them that it is not good to have sex before marriage. This situation can be arrested when sons and daughters are taught that they are complete on their own and do not need any one outside of themselves to complete them. When boys and girls are encouraged to remain in school, and trained to obtain job skills that can make them sustainable, can this issue be gradually contained. When a girl learns job skills and gets a sustainable job, she will have little desire to trick a man into being a baby daddy. If young men and women are taught to marry when they should, and stay married with their partners, can sanity begin to return to the world. Jumping in and out from one sexual partner in and outside of marriage should be a no no to everyone.
Men and women, you are worth better. You have to take your destinies into your own hands because baby mama, or baby daddy is no way to go.
The truth of the matter is that certain men could take advantage of such gullible girls, whom they sometimes put into the family way, under the pretext that marriage lurks around the corner. Those promised marriages often do not materialize over time, because those promises are mostly built on falsehoods. Likewise, some women too purposely get pregnant, so as to trick certain men into marrying them. Such women either desperately want to answer married, or are looking for men who they can hold responsible to pay child support-in other words, they are looking for someone to be their meal tickets. Many times too, such ambitions never come to fruition. The result is that these women remain as single mothers, now nick-named baby mamas.
Every woman should know that she deserves better, and should bargain better so as not to subject herself as a prey to such predators. Neither should any man let himself be tricked into being a baby daddy to any woman. For both sexes, baby children would not occur if we all observe what is called abstinence. We should never commence on any job we cannot finish. If she is not good enough for you to marry, don't go into any form of a pretentious relationship with her and vice versa. When we do, the resultant effect is the ton of single families we see today.
The effect of this insanity-many children who run the streets. Another result is the number of children who drop out of school. Yet still, in schools, children who are problematic mostly come from single parents. It is very challenging for a couple to raise children, talk less when it is done by one parent. That one parent is too stretched with work, obligations, etc to have enough time to cater and supervise the children. The worst of all is that many times, the children of baby mamas grow up to be baby mamas, or baby daddies. What else does one expect, after all, they learn from their surroundings, and don't forget that a fruit does not fall far from the tree.
When will this madness stop? It will begin to abate when parents empower their children by explaining to them that it is not good to have sex before marriage. This situation can be arrested when sons and daughters are taught that they are complete on their own and do not need any one outside of themselves to complete them. When boys and girls are encouraged to remain in school, and trained to obtain job skills that can make them sustainable, can this issue be gradually contained. When a girl learns job skills and gets a sustainable job, she will have little desire to trick a man into being a baby daddy. If young men and women are taught to marry when they should, and stay married with their partners, can sanity begin to return to the world. Jumping in and out from one sexual partner in and outside of marriage should be a no no to everyone.
Men and women, you are worth better. You have to take your destinies into your own hands because baby mama, or baby daddy is no way to go.
Back to Stay
Hello!
I am back to stay. Been gone from posting for a while now and
intend to put up posts weekly. I am excited to be back. Please
stay tuned.
I am back to stay. Been gone from posting for a while now and
intend to put up posts weekly. I am excited to be back. Please
stay tuned.
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