Mental and emotional suffering can arise in many ways. One is the suffering we experience from having committed sin; another is when we are being trained, exercised or otherwise undergoing a “learning opportunity” from God. When we sin, we experience the consequences of sin, the natural (if unwanted) products of our actions.
There could be many reasons that God allows or even instigates suffering in our lives. I think one is so we may become more proficient and competent to lead the type of life he wants us to lead. In other words, it is one of those “learning opportunities”. While we could ask, “Does God want us to suffer?” we can also ask, “Does God want us to be strengthened in character?” I submit God does not want us to suffer. I submit further that character building is not suffering. It is discipline and it is exercise, but it is not suffering. When exercise my body I willingly go through discomfort to gain an improved body. Likewise, I go through hours of instrument practice to someday be proficient at that instrument.
Sometimes character building seems like suffering because we do not want the element of character God seeks to build into us. When we do not want an element of character God wants us to have, it is sin. If we do not know we should seek to discover what character element God might be seeking and ask for his guidance during its development.
Mowing the lawn used to seem to our boys more like suffering, than character building but we, the parents, wanted our sons to know the value of work, the execution of home duties, the necessity to support and add value to the family, etc.
Christ suffered on the cross for our sin. The suffering we endure for character development bears no relation to his. Christ was perfect in character, we are not.
