43. Understanding Justice and Suffering: Three Kinds of Suffering that Radically Impact Our Perceptions of God
In this special episode of The Storyteller's Mission, Zena Dell Lowe breaks down the twin concepts of Justice and Suffering.
Justice is that need inside of us that demands that wrong doers pay for their deeds. This is a concept we innately agree with, and so we wait expectantly for God's wrath.
On the other side of the coin is our suffering, but most of us don't realize that suffering can be categorized into three different types, each with its own cause and purpose:
- Calamity is suffering experienced as a result of living in a fallen world where “bad things” happen for no apparent reason.
- Chastisement is suffering inflicted by God for the purpose of discipline and correction (fatherly discipline for the moral improvement and personal well-being of His children).
- Retributive punishment is suffering inflicted by God for the purpose of satisfying justice and payment for sin.
It is essential that we learn the difference of each of these types of suffering so that we don't draw false conclusions about God and the reasons for our pain. Knowing these categories can help us correctly interpret what's happening to us, and can free us from unnecessary fear, anger, or shame.
