Respond to this statement by Douglas Geivett: “Because God cares to give us freedom, which sometimes results in suffering, He wants to bring good out of those sufferings that do come our way—even though He does not specifically intend the suffering itself.” Do you agree or disagree?

I think it is important that we have free will to make choices. We are not always going to choose what is best for us, but we have a God that is merciful and want to restore us despite our choices and failures.

I agree. God will use our suffering for good- Roman’s 8:28.

I fully agree. We live in a broken, sin filled world. Early in my christian life a pastor I greatly admire suffered a horrific loss. Suddenly his five year old son was hit by a bus and killed instantly. My wife and I struggled greatly with this tragic death. How can this happen to the most godly family we know? We watched this family grieve (and likely still to this day, 35 years later) with grace and faith beyond words. This is a man I look to be like, a model of God’s grace.

I disagree. I don’t believe God allows anything by chance. God knows us fully, he knows our past, present and future. Nothing is a surprise from God. God does use our suffering to bring out good, this I truly believe.

I agree with this. God intended, as in He willed it to be, the suffering of Jesus’s crucifixion and death for the sake of all mankind. If “specifically intend” is synonymous with “God’s will,” then I would have to agree.

I agree. Our suffering shouldn’t be pointless. God is able to take our suffering and give it purpose.

In my case: I suffer for contracting HIV. Although I believe God wants to give me freedom resulting in this suffering, I know God never intended my suffering. I suffer as of the consequences of my reckless behavior with sex, which is against Bible principles.I have many reasons to believe that I am yet to see God’s glory and manifestation though my suffering and recovery.

I agree. I agree with the statement that God does not specifically intend the suffering, but uses it to bring good out it. It is hard to see when you are suffering, but when you look back you can see it just as described in the poem “Footprints”.

I agree for the most part. I do think God does bring suffering to those that he seeks to get their attention but they just turn and rebel. Look at Northern Israel, he led them into captivity because they were doing detestable things in his sight. They had turned from him. He warned them but they did not change their ways so they were taken captive.

I agree. My husband and I went through a very difficult time when we were first married. For 7 years we wanted to have children. All of our friends were having them.
we took looked into IVF, went to specialists, to make it happen. Nothing. We were suffering. We finally got to a point that we would trust Him to make us parents or He would take away the desire. It was after this that He brought adoption into the picture. It was not what we had pursued. But we heard it everywhere from the TV to the radio to other people talking about it. We went to a seminar about it because we felt that God might want us to check it out. I remember being emotionally moved by the birthmothers as they spoke about how giving couples the gift of being parents was what they knew God wanted for them and their child. We became parents by adoption. It was this adopted child that prayed three years later for a brother. God saw fit for us to gibe birth to our second child. Even now, I have opportunity to share my struggle and my strength in faith with other couples that struggle to become parents. Had we chosen to begin with to trust God to make us parents instead of trying to make it happen, we likely would not have suffered as we did. Yet, it was in that suffering that we learned to trust in and on God for our greatest wish. I can say with confidence that my faith is strong because of those years go suffering. I would not change anything. God worked it all out for good, just as He said He would.

I agree! With God we understand that nothing is a mistake. In our suffering He is teaching us skills we may not every learn out of this situation. Ultimately, we know that God can produce good out of our sufferings even if we have to wait until eternity to understand it.

Answering this question leads me back to my issues with theodicy. Justifying the ways of God to humankind seems a fruitless venture. No matter how many or how reasonable the arguments we propose to vindicate God, we will never find one that will meet everyone’s objections. What brings peace to one person may leave another still struggling with the unfairness of their suffering. I find myself more in agreement with Geivett’s earlier statement: “God can produce good out of something that we don’t understand.”