Kathleen prince-the-use-of-suffering-new-church-press-w-d-1970-onwards

The Use of Suffering
Kathleen Prince 1 j-

THE USE OF SUFFERING

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The Use of

Suffering

KATHLEEN PRINCE

THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY

OF THE NEW CHURCH

"1 counser thee to buy of me gold
tried in the fire, that thou
mayest be rich." Revelation 3: 18.

If God is Love, why does He aHow
people to suffer? Why isn't everyone
healthy, happy and good? Why are so
many afflicted with physical or mental ill-
nesses? Why are there accidents, catas-
trophes, wars?
To answer aH these questions, we must
first try to see why we are alive in the
world at aU. Let us go back to the first
statement-God is Love. If He is Love,
then He needs someone to love, someone
who, of his or her own freewill, will
respond to and return that love. God's
love is so immense that He cares for each
one of us in a special and individual way,
and He created the whole universe for our
5

delight and for our use. He loves us so
much, that He wants us aIl to become
angels, and to live in Heaven for ever. He
loves us so much that He took upon Him
self a human nature and was born into
the world as the Lord Jesus Christ, to
fight against and conquer evil. He did
this to give us back our freedom, so that
we can choose to be good or bad, kind
or unkind, loving or hating, generous or
jealous and greedy, forbearing or bitter
and resentful. If we were created ready
made angels we would have no wiUs of
our own, we would be as puppets dancing
to the Creator's tune. We would have to
love Him whether we would or no, and
that is not true loving. This world is the
place where we can make decisions, and
form our characters as we grow over the
years, so that, after death, we shaH be
ready to choose to live in either Heaven
or Hell.
Not everyone will choose to be good,
or to do the right. It is inevitable that sorne
will love to be evil, or make unwise deci
6

sions unintentionally in politics, business,
education, etc., and this may mean that
the innocent will suffer through no fault
of their own by victimisation, loss of
reputation or job, redundancy or sorne
such other unpleasantness. If, however,
the Lord prevented people from doing
what they wanted to do, He wouId be
destroying their freewill. So He allows
evil to happen, but He foresees it and
prepares for it, so that good can result
in the end. Nothing bad ever happens (0
anyone which has no( been foreseen and
provided for. No evil that cornes to you
is too great for you to bear-when it
occurs, the strength to bear it cornes too,
and you can emerge from your trial a
better, stronger person. It may seem, and
1 often is, terrible at the time, but good will
come from it-good which will last for
ever. Don't expect to be able to see this
when you are suffering, for then you will
have quite enough to do to ding on, and
hope, and fight back-but afterwards-a
long time afterwards - look back and
7

think again over what happened, and see
how it has changed you. Then you will be
able to recognise the workings of His
Providence, and His loving care for your
eternal welfare. (Ex. 33: 20 to 23).
How does the Lord decide whom He
will permit to suifer, and when? Why do
some people seem to suifer more than
others? If you reflect upon it, you will
realise that everyone suifers at some time
during his life. Those who are choosing
to go from bad to worse, will have things
happen which will bring them up with a
jolt-this is the Lord's way of giving them
another chance to stop and think, to
change their evil ways before it is too late.
The same applies to those who jog along
from day to day in the shalIows of life,
who chase after pleasures and amuse
ments, and never bother to think or feel
very deeply about anything. The sudden
loss of a close relative or friend, or some
such equalIy personal tragedy, may not
be a tragedy at alI-it may be a blessing
in disguise. And how about the countless
8

people who are consciously striving to be
good, to love the Lord and their neigh
bour, to conquer their many faults and
blemishes of character? These are the
most likely to be called upon to suffer,
because they have already braced them
selves to fight against evil, and this very
fact will enrage the devils of Hell. The
more you try to be good, the more the
Hells will want to attack you. It isn't easy
to be a real Christian-you have to be
brave, dogged, and determined not to give
way, not to lose faith. It wasn't easy for
the Lord Jesus Christ to fight throughout
His life on earth against the full strength
of the Hells-we are only trying to follow
in His footsteps. He says "Take My yoke
upon you, and learn of Me" (Matt. Il : 29).
But don't be discouraged-the benefits
and rewards far exceed the suffering-the
peace that cornes after the storm, that
peace in the heart and mind; the confid
ence that all is working together for good
to those that love Him; the joy that cornes
from the realisation that you are doing
9

His will; the happiness that results from
forgetting yourself and trying ta make
others happy. The mere fact that you are
now suffering again in sorne way is sure
praof that you have consolidated your
position sa far, and are ready ta advance
along the road ta Heaven. Looked at in
this way, every trial is a challenge-you
should try ta find out what it is sent ta
teach you, what particular failing you are
ta undermine this time. It is a compli
ment, when you realise that the Lord
thinks you are ready for sorne new test of
your faith. He says "As many as 1 love,
1 rebuke and chasten" (Rev. 3: 19). Things
are never quite sa dark when you can see
daylight ahead. As Job said (23: 10)
"When He hath tried me, 1 shall come
forth as gold."
Let us now examine the rest of these
questions more closely-
Physical iIIness
This is the outward sign of sorne deep
spiritual defect, not in the persan affected,
10

but in the world in general. The Lord
doesn't send it, He doesn't wish for it at
aIl, but He permits it so that our freedom
may be maintained. The only sure way to
make everyone healthy is for everyone
to conquer his besetting sins, and advance
rapidly towards angelhood.
lllness is not a thing to be discussed
lightheartedly. It may be sudden and
serious, it may be long-drawn-out and
wearying to bear, it may be intolerably
painful and exhausting. If you are the
patient, what can you do to help your
self? Rest in the Lord, and trust in His
love and goodness, co-operate as far as
possible with the doctors and nurses, and
do aIl you can to take your mind off your
self. Try not to waIlow in self-pity, pre
sent a brave front to the world and you
will find you really are brave. Remernber
that, however ill you are, there are prob
ably rnany more who are in a worse case
than you are. Be grateful to those who
wait on you, and do things for your com
fort--greet them with a smile and a cheer
11

fuI word. Just think how unrewarding it
must be to have to care for a patient who
is always grumbling and finding fanlt. Be
eager to make the effort to get back to
normal when the time cornes. The right
attitude of mind is half the battle, and
your recovery will be more rapid. "In
quietness and confidence shaU be your
strength" (Is. 30: 15).
But suppose that every effort is of no
avail, that you are going to die? Do not
fear death-for you it will be a release
from pain and suffering, and an entry into
a fuUer, happier life. The Lord and His
highest angels will be with you at that
time, helping you to compose your mind
in confidence and peace, reassuring you
that, when you awake, you will still be
yourself, and will go on living to eternity.
And if you are not the patient, but the
one who loves and cares for him, what
comfort and solace can be given to you?
At times it may seem that it is aU so point
less; you are exhausted and drained of aU
your strength through lack of sleep; you
12

wish with aIl your heart that you could
bear the pain and anguish in place of the
loved one; you can't go on any longer.
"Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt
thou dwell in the land, and verily thou
shalt be fed" (Ps. 37: 3). Spare a minute
now and then to dip once more into the
Word of God and, as you work, turn to
Him continually in prayer. Your courage
and strength will be renewed, you will
realise that you have done and are doing
the best you can, and no-one could do
more than that. When the invalid recovers,
you will soon forget the worry and pain
in t~e joy of living life to the full together
agam.
And should your fears be realised, and
you lose your loved one-the present grief
at the separation will be hard to bear; your
life will seem empty, and without hope.
"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He
shaH sustain thee" (Ps. 55: 22). The best
therapy is to force oneself to go on living
as before, doing the normal, routine, small
things of every day - automatically at
13

first-living a day at a time, and trying
not to look too far ahead. If it is a beloved
child who has been taken from you, ding
fast to the thought that he is being loved
and cared for by angel-parents, and will
grow up and be educated in the Heavens
until he becomes an angel in his own right.
Time will eventually heal the wound, and
you will realise that the separation is only
temporary. One day your calI will come,
too, and then you will be reunited, with
great joy.
If, on the other hand, you are a doctor
or nurse or one who is caring for the
incurable or very ill, it is often difficult
to understand why sorne young people
are struck down with chronic diseases,
their only prospect being weary days,
weeks, months, years ahead during which
they will be unable to do much for them
selves, and will be a burden to others. Vou
wonder, too, why so many apparently use
less and difficult old people, who are a sore
trial to those who look after them and
whose friends and contemporaries have
14

died, go on living while other younger,
active people are suddenly cut down in
mid-stream. Vou will find God's answer
to these problems when you remember
that not only are the patients working out
their salvation by reacting in the right way
to their unfavourable conditions, but also
those who care for them, by showing con-
sideration, patience and devotion.
Mental iIIness
Why should this happen to us? What
have we done to deserve this? So might
you exclaim when you realise that your
longed-for child is mentally deficient, or
deformed in sorne way. But this is the
wrong way to approach the matter-the
sooner you can bring yourselves to accept
the facts as they are, the sooner you will
be able to adjust yourselves to the un-
wanted circumstances, and to make the
best of them. The question should rather
be-how can we do our best for our little
one? How can we make its life as normal
and happy as is humanly possible? In
15

tinding the answers, you will grow to
maturity-you will have to expend more
of your love and devotion than would be
necessary for a normal child, and you will
become better parents and tiner people as
a result-you, too, will be advancing
towards angelhood. Of course, you are
bound to come up against the unthinking
and unfeeling ones, who say unkind things
and act in a hurtful manner. Do not worry
too much on their account-they are not
worth bothering about-in fact, they are
the losers, because they have missed the
opportunity of being kind and under
standing and helpfu1. There will be others
-your true friends and relations-who
will rally round and support you.
Over the years you will have to face
hard decisions-whether to keep the little
one at home, or whether it would be better
for him to go to a special school, where
trained and devoted workers can help to
develop his limited powers. No-one can
help you to decide-you must talk your
problems over with the Lord, and the right
16

way will be made clear. Don't worry too
much about his future in the world, about
what would happen to him if you were no
longer there-remember, the Lord has his
welfare at heart, and He will provide
whatever is necessary when the need
arises. Don't worry, either, about his des-
tiny after death, for that at least is certain
-however long or short his life-span, he
will awake as a normal person, with his
brain unimpaired, and will grow and
develop to become an angel of Heaven.
So take comfort from that-a normal
child could grow up to become, through
his own choice, a devil in Hell, but your
afflicted chiId will most certainly become
an angel.
And how about the mature person who
develops a mental illness, often brought
on through the stresses and strains of
modern day-to-day living? Distressing as
this can be, it is not disastrous, even if the
patient never recovers in this world.
Assuredly, when he awakes in the next
world, he will have regained his sanity,
17

and will be able to advance from the point
at which the illness arrested his develop
ment. However, in many cases, a full and
complete recovery can be made in this
worId, and loving relatives and friends
should be there at hand to help him to
stand once more on his own feet. Both
the helpers and the helped have lessons to
learn from this experience-especially the
fact that with God's help, aIl things are
possible (Matt. 19: 26). Learning to rely
on Him at aIl times is the best way of com
bating a repetition of this type of illness
His peace and sanity will flood the heart
that opens itself to Him.
Wars and other Catastrophes
If God is love, why doesn't He prevent
or stop wars altogether? He hales war,
and the evil motives from which it origin
ates, and He hates the destruction and
misery which result from it. Remember
how He grieved when the people of Jer
usalem rejected His loving care and
guidance, preferring to go their own way
18

"0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest
the prophets and stonest them which are
sent unto thee, how often would l have
gathered thy children together even as a
hen gathereth her chickens under her
wings, and ye would not" (Matt. 23: 37).
The Lord must allow evil people to be
wicked, to preserve their freedom to
choose, and so from time to time this
wickedness will boil up and overflow into
war. U ntold harm and damage may be
done, thousands suffer a violent and un
timely death or be maimed for lüe, but
the responsibility is ours, not His. But
whatever evil we may bring upon our
selves, He works to alleviate it and turn
it to good, and this is evident in wartime
in an upsurge of friendliness and good
neighbourliness, in open-hearted charity
and goodness of heart shown to the dis
tressed and disabled, in heroic acts of
bravery and self-sacrifice, which would
not have been evident under ordinary con
ditions of life.
But does this compensate for aIl those
19

lives lost, many of them young people just
starting to make their own way in the
world? How does the Lord's Providence
work in deciding whether or not certain
people may be permitted to die prema-
turely? In every case He takes into con-
sideration four aspects - the person's
progress towards salvation; his present
use in the world; his use in the world to
the angels of Heaven; and the use he can
perform in the Heavens. The Lord would
prefer that aIl should complete their alIot-
ted span but, as this is not always possible,
He makes sure that nothing shall preju-
dice their chance of salvation. No adult
dies before his choice of character has
been freely fixed and determined; no child
dies without going straight to Heaven.
Life in this world is not the be-aIl and
end-aIl of existence-we continue to live
after death in a better world than this,
therefore we should not grieve unduly for
anyone whose earthly life has been cut
short. Rather should our sympathies be
with the bereaved-the widows, and child-
20

ren deprived of their fathers, the parents
who have lost a beloved son or daughter
theirs is the harder part, for they will have
to pick up the threads and make sorne
sort of a new life for themselves. This
won't be easy-it will take a lot of cour
age, but the Lord and His angels will be
working for them and with them in their
distress, and He will welcome any assist
ance we can offer in His Name.
In considering the so-called "Acts of
God", such as hurricanes, cyclones, earth
quakes, volcanoes, fires, floods, etc., we
must first realise that although God is AlI
Powerful He cannot act contrary to His
Nature, and therefore cannot interfere
with the normal working of His physical
laws in the unîverse. Natural disasters are
the outcome of spiritual causes, which can
only be prevented by destroying the evil
from which they originate. This can readily
be seen in the boiling up and explosive
force of a volcano, which is the outward
expression in the world of Nature of the
hatred, jealousy, envy, revenge and other
21

evils which infest our hearts unless we
subdue them. That they still occur so fre
quently is a sign that evil is too powerful
in our modern world, and the remedy is
in our hands. We can, if we will, thrust it
out of our hearts-we cannot reform
others, but we can start in a small way
with ourselves. And we can also urge that
any possible precautions be taken to pre
vent or avoid a wholesale loss of life, which
is even more distressing to our Creator
than it is to us.
Many think that human beings should
not be allowed to live near volcanoes, or
in places where earthquakes are likely to
occur but, in the final analysis, the choice
must be with the people themselves. If they
weigh up the obvious dangers, and offset
these against the many advantages accru
ing from free fertilisers supplied by vol
canic ash, or good climatic conditions for
crop growing, and decide to take the
chance-it is up to them. Usually, too,
people living under these conditions are
more aware of their Creator, and the ever
22

present possibility of sudden death turns
their thoughts more frequently to the
reality of life after death, so they are better
prepared to face the horror and tragedy if
and when it cornes.
If we could only remember that the
Lord's Providence is His loving care for us
al al! limes, then, when we are shocked
and horrified by sorne terrible accident,
murder, assassination, or other catastro
phe, our faith would stand firm and we
would be strengthened in our resolve to
stamp out the evil which caused it, both
in ourselves and in the world. Our world
today, in spite of aIl its evil, is a wonderful
and challenging place in which to live.
Although wickedness may be more appar
ent today than ever before, yet the use of
radio and television in so many homes,
and modern facilities for travel have
caused an equivalent increase in the
awareness of the needs of others, and in a
social conscience among right-minded
people. There are so many organisations
nowadays which are geared towards feed
23

ing the undernourished and underprivi
leged, and teaching them how to use and
cultivate their lands, so that they may
retain their self-respect and become self
supporting. We are aIl very much alive
to the sufferings of others in countries far
distant from our own, and our hearts are
moved with compassion to help in any
way we cano And it is good that this should
be so, for these are heavenly motives we
are fostering in ourselves. The more we
turn away from ourselves and towards the
Lord, living a life of love to Him and our
neighbour, the more will suffering and its
attendant evils decrease in the worId. Tt
is up to us, each one of us, ta do our bit to
help.
In the final words of His great Sermon
on the Mount (Matt. 7: 24 ta 27) the Lord
says that the wise persan is the one who
hears His teachings and puts them into
practice in daily life-he who builds the
house of his character on the rock of
truth, which will withstand aIl the buffet
ings of this world; but the foolish person
24

he who hears and doesn't do-who builds
his character on the shifting sands of
worldly ideas, will find it collapse and dis
integrate when troubles come upon him.
"1 counsel thee to buy of Me gold fried
in the fire, that thou mayest be rich"
(Rev. 3: 18).

25

The following titles are aso available in this series
obtainable fram the New Church Enquiry Centre,
20, Bloomsbury Way, London, W.c. 1.
100 Points of New Church Doctrine.
Friendship with God.
L. H. Houghton.
The New Church and its Doctrines.
Rev. F. Hodson Rose
Working with God.
Rev. Charles A. Hall
The Jewel of Human Life,
True Morrioge in the Life of Religion.
Rev. Dennis Duckworth.
Reol Religion.
Ezra Hyde Alden.
What con the New Church do for you?
Rev. Christopher V. A. Hasler.
Children in Heaven.
H. Gordon Drummond.
Something New.
Rev. George T. Hill.
Journey into Eternity.
Kathleen Prince.
Christening the Children.
Rev. A. Clapham.
The doctrines of the New Church are contained in the
writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, published by The
Swedenborg Society; 20 Bloomsbury Way, London, W.C.I.
27

The Orpington Press Ltd .
.,

Designed by G. Roland Smith. L.S.!.A

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