Commonwealth Policy Center

Have you ever thought about the purpose of suffering? It’s a big question in the age of Covid. Most of us have suffered at some point in our lives. Some have suffered more than others. But there’s undoubtedly good that can come through suffering if we deal with it correctly. According to Tim Keller, the Bible teaches that God uses our suffering to remove our weakness and to ultimately build us up. It can transform our attitude toward ourselves, humbles us, remove pride, remind us how fragile we are, forces us to examine ourselves, and can strengthen our relationship with God as nothing else can. God identifies with suffering. In fact, Jesus died on the cross to bear the weight of our sin and suffering, so that through him one day we can put all sin and suffering behind us.