Disclaimer

I would just like to add a quick disclaimer regarding my previous post:
I suppose there are 101 valid and true reasons for difficult seasons in our lives. Perhaps God is testing our faith, or training us, or exposing (to us) our motives, or developing patience, etc.

I want to make it clear that the "difficult seasons" I was referring to was mainly to do with God's discipline (i.e. character development), and not to suffering in general. I suppose I am making this disclaimer in light of a recent tragedy. A friend's brother was recently washed away at sea and now assumed to be dead. At times like this often a myriad of unhelpful, uncomforting and outrightly wrong suggestions offered as solace by Christians (usually) to make a sense of tragedies or sorrow. I do not believe that God allows tragedies like this to train us or test our faith! And sometimes trying to understand "why" just gets us nowhere. There are some good authors who have tacked the subject of pain and suffering well (C.S. Lewis, Philip Yancey) and it is worthwhile to read even if only to help us to better understand and offer comfort to those in difficult and impossible situations.