Introduction
In the history of the human kind, scholars have observed suffering as an inevitable fact. Although theologians have sought to find explanations to the reason why innocent people suffer and reasons for occurrence of bad things in the lives of the good people, they are yet to explore its mystery, which is beyond human comprehension. Theologians define suffering as the God’s mysterious manifestation in the lives of His people. Most ethicists have ventured to answer the question of suffering without a conclusive realization. It is indeed presumptuous for the human kind to struggle to understand a concept that escaped the comprehension of the biblical Moses. In this paper, I see suffering as the mystery of God that we cannot understand but we can derive benefits and significant lessons of life. Using the biblical story of Job, I will demonstrate how the Christian’s worldview would support a Christian nurse’s thoughts and actions in a suffering situation. I will reinforce the benefits and purposes of suffering based on this story.
Suffering; Job’s story
Job’s story is the mystery of suffering. Job was a good person and innocent in the eyes of the people and in the face of God. According to Job 1.1 “There was a man in the Land of UZ, whose name was Job, and the man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil” (King James Version). How could such man of God undergo suffering? According to Christian worldview, Job’s suffering was God’s manifestation to his life (Rohrs, 2009, p.60). Although he had been faithful to God, Christian’s worldview holds that God wanted to reveal to people that life is all about the service for their fellow humankind. As per Job 1.5, the suffering was God’s punishment on behalf of the sins of his sons.
Christian’s worldview is that, we are all called for the service of other people. Indeed, Jesus suffered for salvation of the world. The thought of Christian nurses on their roles in suffering is to serve and save the suffering people; consequently, Christian worldview supports their actions. In Job’s situation, nurse’s immediate act is to rescue the victim from suffering. For Christian nurses it is their responsibility and the call of God to serve the individual and that is actually the Christian worldview.
As per the Christian worldview, Job’s suffering emphasizes God’s sovereignty over the human life. They view suffering as a form of God’s means to show His mightiness over creation as the sovereign creator whose decisions none has the autonomy to criticize. He is indeed the creator and the sustainer of human life (Yancey, 1977, p. 43). This perception influences the actions of nurses in two significant ways: First, by comprehension of the mighty of God through suffering, nurses act as God’s representatives to accomplish His mighty mission to human life.
This further motivates the Christian nurses to execute their duties as if it were for God Himself (Sproul, 1994, p. 15). Secondly, the view makes nurses feel part of the mysteries of God. As the Christian worldview holds, suffering is an enigma that human kind is impossible to understand. Nurses’ contribution in salvation of the suffering has made the world to perceive them as having unveiled to a greater extend the mysteries of God. Evidently, Job’s suffering is a lesson to Christians and Postmodernists that God’s control over human life is a mystery beyond human comprehension.
Christians view suffering as an encouragement to prayer, faith, and trust in God. The Bible presents Job as faithful and trustworthy to God; in fact, according to most versions of the Bible, Job “sinned not” (Job 1: 9). His trust faced a good test of time during his suffering; his wife’s advice to denounce God exposed him as indeed trustworthy in the eyes of God. Worldview holds that desperate times call for desperate measures. During suffering, as worldview asserts, people pray and relook into their relationship with God and even hem their ways (Grimstead& Beisner, 1999, p.9). These views significantly influence the nurse’s thought and actions in suffering, in terms of trust in execution of their mandate as Christians. The view further enables the nurses to put themselves into the situations of the suffering and hence relook into their relationship with God. Broadly, Christian worldview on suffering results into ethical actions of the nurses in situations of suffering. Further, Job’s suffering teaches the Christians and the world that, God is the ultimate solution and inspiration to the human endurance.
The influence of Christian worldview on thoughts and actions of Christian nurses applies to the recent Haiti suffering that ensued after a severe earthquake rocked the country. Nurses took a voluntary role to treat and care for the victims of the calamity. Analogous to Job’s situation, they offered hope and strength through prayer and service to the victims. The situation, as per worldview, offered an opportunity for the people of Haiti to turn back and realize the mighty of hand God in their thriving. This practical case therefore can lead to a conclusive definition of suffering; it is the mysterious disorganization of the natural order at individual or collective levels.
Conclusion
Theme of suffering is a mystery that human kind has not yet unveiled; however, suffering is associated with a wide range of benefits to Christians- it has a purpose in the life of human being. Suffering creates the deepest conviction for God’s presence in the human life, which is the ultimate mission for sovereignty of God. The story of Job is a revelation and justification for the assertion of the mystery of suffering. Christian’s worldview on suffering positively influences the actions and thoughts of Christian nurses in situations of suffering.
References
Grimstead, J., & Beisner, C. (1999). The Christian World View of Helping the Hurting. USA: The Coalition on Revival, Inc.
Rohrs, R. (2009). Job and the Mystery of Suffering. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company.
Sproul, R.C. (1994). Faith and suffering. Journal of Christian Nursing, 11 (1), 14-17.
Yancey, P. (1977). Where is God when it hurts? Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.