Why does God allow suffering? God allows suffering because it is a byproduct of sin. Sin happens because God gave us free will, even though he opposes sin and helps us overcome it when we are willing. God gave us free will because he loves us. And although suffering is not a good thing in and of itself, God can and does use suffering for the good of those who love him. 

To face life’s unfairness, we need perspective and faith.

Perspective comes from understanding Heavenly Father’s plan. We are eternal beings who have been allowed to come to earth so that we can become more like Heavenly Father. While we’re here, we face temptation, sorrow, pain, and suffering. Some suffering comes because God allows people their agency, and some choices can bring suffering to themselves or others. Other times we may not know exactly why people suffer. But we know that in Heavenly Father’s plan, these things can give us experience and be for our good in the end (see Doctrine and Covenants 122:7).

Jesus Christ has overcome all things through His Atonement and Resurrection. As we see unfairness in this life, we can exercise faith in Him and in our Heavenly Father’s plan. We can trust that the Savior will make everything right in the end. And through the Holy Ghost, we can receive comfort and strength in our trials.

If we choose to have faith and endure to the end, we are promised “peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:23).

The Bible shows us that suffering actually points to (rather than disproves) the existence of a good God who cares about people.

The Bible shows us very clearly that God is good and ultimately does not want people to suffer, but that suffering is nevertheless a reality in this life. To understand how this can be true, we’ll look at the overall story of God’s relationship with people in the Bible and where we are in that story now.

So if suffering is part of your reality right now, hopefully you will find fresh hope as you see God’s plan to end suffering once and for all.