God as football coach

When I was playing football in college, at the worst college football school in the nation, our coach made us suffer in practices.  He did so not because he didn't care about us but precisely because he knew we wanted to win and be the best we could be.

As the saying goes "No pain, no gain".

None of us become better without suffering. We don't lose weight, add muscle, run faster, get a degree, make a breakthrough, become more charitable or whatever other measure of improvement you'd like to list without suffering.

Sometimes the suffering is physical--eschewing food to lose weight or running that extra mile to improve our endurance-- and sometimes it's psychological--not losing your temper when someone treats you unfairly-- but suffering seems to be an inevitable ingredient in every recipe for self improvement that really works.

Yet when God allows suffering in our lives most of us get all ticked at God.  The reality is that you can think of God as the ultimate football coach; He knows what's best for us and He's motivated only by His desire to help us be our best.

God only allows suffering to draw out greater good.  Whatever slings and arrows we encounter God allows only because they will end up producing a greater good.

So next time you're mad at God for His allowing some suffering in your life remember that you don't get mad at your coach or your personal trainer when they make you suffer so don't get mad at the God who loves you so much He died on the Cross for you.

This doesn't mean that you can't pray to God to end your suffering, He wants us to pray to Him, because He does listen to our prayers it only means that if He decides that the best answer to your prayers is no He will do what's best for you not what you think is best for you.