No doubt: some suffering is our fault:
We’re lazy at work, and we get fired.
We don’t exercise, and our bodies suffer.
We cheat our taxes, and then face the penalty.
We date an unbeliever, and that ends in disaster.
None of these, of course, are God’s fault. Then again, nothing is. We sometimes make stupid decisions and have to suffer the consequences.
But not all suffering is your fault. Just look at Job. In chapter one, God speaks of Job and says, “There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man.” By chapter three, Job loses his children and property and much of his health.
Sometimes, holy people suffer tremendous amounts of pain for unexplainable reasons.
