Does suffering serve some purpose...
Illustration
Does suffering serve some purpose? In the book, The Robe, Marcellus, the centurion in charge of Jesus' crucifixion, goes throughout the countryside visiting those who had been touched by the life of Jesus. Among those he visits with is a young woman named Miriam, who is paralyzed.
He discovered that Miriam was a bitten young woman until she encountered the Christ who gave her the ability to sing. "If Jesus gave you the gift to sing with just a word, why did he not speak one more word and give you the gift of mobility?" asked Marcellus.
Miriam replied, "I cannot tell you how I came by my gift, but I do not regret my lameness. Perhaps the people of Cana are more helped by the songs I sing from my cot than they might be if I were physically well. They all have their worries, agonies, and defeats. If I had been made whole, perhaps they would say, 'Oh, it's easy enough for Miriam to sing and rejoice. Miriam has no trouble. Why indeed shouldn't she sing?' There was a time when my lameness was a great affliction, because I made it an affliction. It afflicted me, my parents, and my friends. Now it is not an affliction, but it has become a means of blessing."
-- Joseph
He discovered that Miriam was a bitten young woman until she encountered the Christ who gave her the ability to sing. "If Jesus gave you the gift to sing with just a word, why did he not speak one more word and give you the gift of mobility?" asked Marcellus.
Miriam replied, "I cannot tell you how I came by my gift, but I do not regret my lameness. Perhaps the people of Cana are more helped by the songs I sing from my cot than they might be if I were physically well. They all have their worries, agonies, and defeats. If I had been made whole, perhaps they would say, 'Oh, it's easy enough for Miriam to sing and rejoice. Miriam has no trouble. Why indeed shouldn't she sing?' There was a time when my lameness was a great affliction, because I made it an affliction. It afflicted me, my parents, and my friends. Now it is not an affliction, but it has become a means of blessing."
-- Joseph
