Is there a reason for suffering?

Muscles in your body only become stronger when they are worked to their limit. The body notices the work they're doing, and it expects them to need to work even harder, so it routes extra resources to them to get larger and stronger. All this muscle work puts a tremendous stress on your bones, which actually respond by becoming more dense and less resistant to fracture and breaking.

If you stop working your muscles, they become weaker and eventually will atrophy. And they'll probably be replaced by fat that will conveniently mold itself to the shape of your couch. People who routinely make their bodies burn with the satisfying struggle and pain of rigorous exercise will ultimately be stronger, have more energy, and have more confidence. Those who avoid all that discomfort and effort will generally become softer in more than just their midsection. The same analogy can be used for the brain – either constantly stretch the wits of your mind by reading and learning and creating, or turn on Super Nanny every day and let your brain turn to oatmeal.

Look at people who are handed everything their entire lives, like those who are born into vast wealth, or even children who are never disciplined by their parents and get whatever they whine for. They're generally pretty miserable people to be around. They could have anything they want right this moment, but they wouldn't appreciate any of it, because they've never had to work for anything. They've never experienced struggle as the means of achieving a goal.

When you begin life as an infant, you've never experienced any trials or struggles, and you are completely vulnerable. That's called innocence. As you get older, if you live a life completely without suffering and tribulation, without risk and venture, and if you in fact avoid these things deliberately, you remain vulnerable. That's called lethargy.

The pain of life is inevitable. Apparently the Bible even asserts this fact plainly in its text in a few instances. If Jesus was some kumbaya-singing hippie as so often believed, he wouldn't have said "In this world, you will have trouble." I think the point is that God is NOT there to help you avoid pain. He is there to guide you through the unavoidable pain of life so that you can overcome it and become stronger. When people are undergoing a hardship, they pray that God will make the problem go away. And when the problem remains, or actually grows in ferocity, people get pissed and wonder what kind of a crappy God would let that happen. I think they have it backward, because I don't think that's his job. I think his job is to make us stronger so that we can conquer the problem on our own.

Because out of struggle always comes opportunity. Even if it's just an opportunity to learn. The agony of childbirth can sometimes be fatal, but it is the only path to a new and precious life. The heartbreak of losing a loved one will strike each and every one of us, probably many times over. But what we can learn from that pain is to cherish every second with those whom you love. Life is hard because it's supposed to be. Only when you've endured hardship can you truly appreciate rest. Only when you overcome life's difficulties can you truly experience happiness.