The New Testament speaks of spiritual gifts that God bestows on people as He uses them to do His will. One such gift is the gift of healing. It’s not considered one of the more important gifts but it made a lasting impression on the suffering at the time of the early church. I only know that if I could have any gift from God to serve my fellow man, it would be the gift of healing. Compassion moves me to want to ease the suffering of people, especially children. I can only imagine the unspeakable joy of being able to empty out the cancer ward in a children’s hospital by healing all of them.
Unlike some people, I have never questioned God in allowing the innocent to suffer. Innocent people suffer. It's a part of life on earth I think we, human beings, bring on ourselves for the most part. If we would simply obey the laws of God a great deal of suffering would be alleviated. Like all children whose parents love them, we were given the instructions to keep us safe. Out of our rebellious attitudes we’ve ignored them. God wants us to be healthy and happy in this life and He has left us an instruction manual for just that purpose. We still seem to have a good deal of growing up to do before we’ve learned the lesson…our Creator knows what is best for His creation.
That children suffer from illness, disease, natural disasters, violence and war while the adults in their lives must stand by helplessly can tear my heart out. I know I’m not alone in that. It occurs to me in watching it that Gods purpose is being served even in that suffering. The lessons of compassion and love that I’ve seen and heard pour over me like a warm rain.
It seems to me that some children have a strength of spirit not found among adults. The strongest among us have become our teachers in their suffering. Watching it can break our hearts…and like the saying goes, a broken heart is an open heart.
I don’t pretend to be able to see the big picture…but I have the faith that God does. While, most often, the suffering that children endure seems random, the lives they touch reach out far and wide. The hearts they open reveal who we really are. In that, their pain can serve Gods purpose. No life goes unnoticed in Gods eyes. No innocents suffer without His special notice. I have no doubt that they will be rewarded for their suffering and for their gifts to us.
The only issue left seems to be what we do with the lessons we’ve learned from watching innocents suffer. Do we ignore it and go on with our lives? Do we seek some kind of revenge? Do we curse God? Or, do we choose to honor the young lives cut short and open our hearts to love each other more?
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