Suffering Happens, But God Knows Best

I just found the coolest poem I've read in a long time...I wanted to share it with you!

Our Father knows what's best for us, so why should we complain?
We always want the sunshine, but he knows there must be rain.
We love the sound of laughter and the merriment of cheer,
But our hearts would lose their tenderness if we never shed a tear.
For growing trees are strengthened when they withstand the storm,
And the sharp cut of the chisel gives the diamond grace and form.
God never hurts us needlessly, and he never wastes our pain,
For every loss he sends to us is followed by rich gain.
And when we count the blessings that God so freely sent,
We'll find no cause for murmuring, and no time to lament.
For our Father loves his children, and to him all things are plain,
So he never sends us pleasure when the soul's deep need is pain.
So whenever we are troubled, and when everything goes wrong,
We know God's working in our hearts, to make our spirit strong.

-Amy Carmichael

Sometimes bad things happen to good people so that God's work would be known in our lives. In times of suffering, we often want to turn away from God or blame Him for our suffering. But God has bigger plans. I speak from experience when I say that, and things have always turned out better on the other side. I'm so grateful for my times of suffering, because God uses that time to make my heart stronger, to yearn for Him even more, and so that His work might be done in my life.

As he went along, he saw a blind man from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." -John 9:1-3