I always tell my kids and those around me, "We don't know the end of the story." The lesson here is from Ecclesiates 3:11 "Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end." God knows the end from the beginning. In this chapter He goes on to say "I know that whatever God does,
It shall be forever.
Nothing can be added to it,
And nothing taken from it.
God does it, that men should fear before Him.
15 That which is has already been,
And what is to be has already been;
And God requires an account of what is past.

In other words "God has a plan." He knows the end from the beginning. He holds eternity in His hands. He says all things work together for our good, even if it is suffering or pain. This may not sound like the god you've always believed in, but I am comforted by the name of Jesus who is the "God with us." That is His name and his promise. Even in our darkest moments, moments of failure and disappointment, He is still "God with us." He never leaves us or forsakes us. As David said, "Though I make my bed in Sheol (hell) You will be there with me." He is ready to forgive all who call on Him. He is there in the day and night, in the pain and sorrow, He never leaves us. He knows the end of the story, because he is "in" the story with us. He wasn't just "God with us," on the cross, two thousand years ago. He is still "God with us," today.
So then, this the "how" we endure, and the "why" we endure, and the results, we leave up to God

Evil

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day. Pain, pain, go away, don't come again another day.
As someone who lives with pain, who has seen it in loved ones- both physical and emotional, I'm always reminded of the gift that God gives. Yes, pain is a gift. The reason I say this, is because of a book I came across- I think it was all about pain. It was written by a doctor that specialized in leprosy and his thesis was that without being able to feel pain, the lepers don't know when something is wrong. They can stub their toes or scratch themselves in some benign way and the don't notice it until the smell of infection reminds them that they need to get medical care for their cuts and by then it is usually too late. They lose body parts regularly because their bodies cannot feel pain.

This is quite a shocker for those of us that use pain killers to survive our daily lives. How can something like pain, be good? Could pain be God's will? What a concept.
When I watch the National Geopraphic Channel, I'm reminded of how brutal nature can be. Now some would say that animals don't feel pain or that they were created as meat or God's provision for us. This may be true, but I remember seeing my dog go to the door after I took his cat friend, Emma. The cat was dying so we had to take her to the vet to have her put down. My dog whimpered and whined at the door when I left, and when I returned without her friend. Even before I left, the dog would lie on the floor with Emma as she lay on the floor writhing in pain. The dog seemed to know and was empathizing with the cat. The dog obviously was feeling something. This is not a treatise on the ethical treatment of animals. All I'm saying is the world is not so black and white. Animals do feel something and we are given the command to rule, with God's providence and care.

Of course this means we should care for God's creation, just as we should care for people. If someone is in pain, a natural desire is to alleviate that pain, even if pain is in God's original design. Now some would argue there is pain because the devil rules the world. I'm not sure about this doctrine, only because I remember Jesus talking about destroying the works of the devil and other such scriptures; however if you want to argue for the devil's reign on the earth then count me out. I have no such compunction to justify God or promote the devil.

As far as I'm concerned the subject of pain is fraught with images of children at sick kid's hospitals all over the world, in pain and drugged to keep the pain "manageable." Nobody in their right mind would say that this is God's will or plan. Or how about the tsunamis or hurricanes that devastate cities, or earthquakes that killed 250,000 people in Haiti or the ravages of disease that followed with cholera outbreak. How could any of these things be God's will and how can we pray about these things if they are God's plan any way. When someone is in pain, we have an obligation to do something.

I think the key might be the prayer of Jabez, "that I might not cause pain." This could be a mantra or a theme for any kind of work or prayer or philosophy - that, in all we do, we do not cause pain. If I could live by that everyday, maybe I could make the world a better place.

To all my friends and family

To all my friends and family. It's great to see and hear the moral angst when talking with people about Christmas and new years. Seasons Greetings, joyeaux Noel, Best of the season, May you know the joy of the season, Happy holidays etc. When I talk to business people or people in stores by phone or e-mail, you can hear it in the tone, that some people don't know how to respond or are uncomfortable with the whole politically correct thing to say. Interestingly enough, I've had conversations and e-mails from India and China, from Hindus and muslims and atheists and they all seem quite comfortable with the whole "Merry Christmas," thing. It doesn't bother me to be open about saying Merry Christmas and the people I talk to are not offended in the least.
Back when I was working in a children's treatment centre, I was told that you don't give physical touch to the children because it might be interpreted wrongly or I might open myself up to allegations of inappropriate touching. The problem was, I felt the children needed a hug from an adult because many of them had been abused by their parents or siblings. Many did not know what appropriate touch was. They were not used to someone giving them affection or touch appropriately. I felt part of the problem was the kids needed someone to love them, and give them the things that every child needs - unconditional love. I told my superiors what was happening- every time I came to work the children would run up to me and give me a hug. It was something that started with an especially damaged kid that was abused by his father. The boy needed someone to love him unconditionally, and I was that person. He came to me and held my hand when we went for walks and when we played games or sports he would run up to me and give me a hug. I never rejected him or made fun of him and soon other children started doing the same thing. Some of them started asking me about God and asked me to take them to church and tell them about Jesus. My supervisor was not especially happy about it but I said "If someone asks me, I'm going to tell them."
It wasn't long before the whole tenor of the centre changed. Many of the staff started giving hugs to the kids because they saw the value of hugging the kids.
I think my point is this. If you are open and honest about your faith, people will respond. If you try and shove it down their throats, you are going to get resistance. I hope we will all be open with our faith  with people we know and people we casually meet at the grocery store. If that is who you are, all of the time, then saying Merry Christmas or talking about God or Jesus, won't be so difficult the next time you meet someone. You don't have to be obnoxious about it, just consistent, and loving.