The relentless nature of suffering forces everyone to struggle with this issue and to seek to understand why people suffer. Many great minds over the centuries have grappled with this question and have come to a variety of conclusions. Before accepting any of these, they must be evaluated in light of some authority. For Christians, that authority is the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17). However, even this is not a simple task, and some of the struggles in this area have been exaggerated by faulty interpretations of passages in the Bible regarding the causes of suffering. The proposed interpretations must be carefully evaluated since people's pain can be worsened by false solutions to the problem of suffering. When interpreting a passage, proper attention must be paid to the context of the passage, and to the overall teaching of the Bible. I will evaluate the different explanations for suffering, and their objections, and particularly how these proposals compare to biblical teaching.

However, to find comfort in God and his love, it is important to have seriously struggled with this problem and its proposed solutions before our bodies and feelings are screaming at us in pain. We need to think this issue through, and decide to believe that the God of the Bible is loving and powerful, in spite of the existence of suffering. Then we will be better able to cling to him in the midst of our own suffering. It will then be easier to accept in faith the comfort and endurance he promises. Having dealt with the issue ourselves, we will be better prepared to help others reason through this problem and find God's comfort in their time of need. Having seen God work in our own pain and suffering, we will be more able to bring his comfort to those who need it.

So what's going on? Why do I spend so much time in the mirror, flexing and twisting and prodding and scrutinizing every part of my body that I deem less-than perfect? Why can a Polo Sport ad inspire me to denounce all fat and commit every waking moment to some sort of muscle-building or cardiovascular activity? Why, after my girlfriend tells and shows me in 50 different ways that she considers my physical presence a religious experience, do I ask her if she's attracted to me? My sense self-esteem too often depends on how I see my body, and my body image is increasingly affected (infected?) by a continuous, arbitrary onslaught of images and messages that dictate the rights and wrongs of physical appearance. And I'm not the only guy going through it... I've got buddies who are manly men-who would punch me for saying what I did about Brad Pitt-but who get real touchy about how they look like in a pair of jeans.

Some topics in this essay:
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