Why does a good man seem to suffer more than others?

tahoe02_4me622008-05-08T11:27:29Z

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It just seems that way, it wont last forever.

We are living in “critical times hard to deal with,” and wickedness abounds. We have seen come true the apostle Paul’s words: “Wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse, misleading and being misled.” (2 Timothy 3:1, 13) How easy it is to be affected by the apparent success and prosperity of wicked people! All of that can distract us, causing our spiritual vision to get out of focus. Note how the opening words of Psalm 37 alert us to this potential danger: “Do not show yourself heated up because of the evildoers. Do not be envious of those doing unrighteousness.”

The world’s media daily bombard us with a list of injustices. Dishonest businessmen get away with fraud. Criminals exploit the vulnerable. Murderers remain undetected or go unpunished. All such examples of the perversion of justice can provoke anger and disturb our peace of mind. The seeming success of evildoers may even prompt feelings of envy. But will our being upset improve the situation? Does envy of the apparent advantages that the wicked enjoy alter the outcome for them? Most definitely not! And there is really no need for us to become “heated up.” Why not?

The psalmist answers: “For like grass they will speedily wither, and like green new grass they will fade away.” (Psalm 37:2) Green new grass may look pretty, but the blades soon shrivel and die. Likewise with evildoers. Their apparent prosperity is not permanent. When they die, their ill-gotten gains help them no more. Justice finally catches up with everyone. “The wages sin pays is death,” wrote Paul. (Romans 6:23) Evildoers and all who are unrighteous will finally receive their “wages” and no more. What a profitless way of life!—Psalm 37:35, 36; 49:16, 17.

Should we, then, allow the fleeting prosperity of evildoers to disturb us? The lesson from the first two verses of Psalm 37 is this: Do not allow their success to cause you to deviate from your chosen course to serve Jehovah. Rather, keep your focus on spiritual blessings and goals.—Proverbs 23:17.

arewethereyet2008-05-08T11:23:38Z

Umm, do you mean why does a good man seem to be inflicted more? Because whether you suffer for what happens to you has to do with your state of mind, not whether you are good or not.

What I mean is this: I know a few people who suffer constantly. Someone cuts in front of them in traffic and it ruins their day. They are completely unable to be happy, no matter what happens they will find something bad to suffer for it.

Then I know people who consistently get knocked down, hard. They lose their jobs through no fault of their own, get in an accident and wind up in the hospital with no insurance, lose their home and car and all income and still greet people with a smile on their face. They don't suffer, they look for hope in all situations.

So which did you mean?

Sentinel2008-05-08T11:22:45Z

It would seem that as Christ suffered unjustly then so too will His beloved, good people suffer simply because they do good and the powers of darkness detest the good man/woman and try to divert them from being what they are into what they should not be.
There is a continous war being waged night and day by denomic forces and there are countless ways in which the decent person is attacked.
God bless.

John S2008-05-08T11:30:03Z

Life is not fair. Therefore, the notion that there is an
automatic reward for good behavior (and an automatic
punishment for bad behavior) will tend to lead
to disappointment. It is that disappointment that causes
to think that "good people suffer more" and that "bad
people do not suffer enough".

IRIS2008-05-08T11:21:58Z

I don't think a good man suffers more, I think it is just more noticeable because everyone expects good things to always happen to good people.

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