Everyone suffers in life at some point. Eventually, illness, disappointment and grief come to us all.

In those dark moments, many people wonder about the purpose of life, and the purpose of suffering.

Sometimes, in a tarot reading, I can see a specific purpose, or task, for a specific individual.
Often, in addition to those specific messages, there are messages that are more universal. That is, sometimes I receive messages that share a common theme.

After more than two decades of seeing and delivering these messages, the wisdom inherent in them is clear to me.

Forget what you read in the Old Testament.

I am convinced that Higher Power (God, Goddess, angels, Spirit, Source, Universe, etc.) does not ever makes us suffer as a way of punishing us.

This is hard for some people to believe. It’s true that sometimes our chickens come home to roost. That’s not God punishing us; that’s cause and effect.

When random terrible things happen in our lives, it’s easy to think that we have been singled out for punishment.

When we are frustrated in our inability to find that one elusive thing, the wonderful relationship or the dream job, we may become angry, believing that the Universe is withholding from us something we deserve.

Years ago, I took a Zen meditation class. The topic of the class was “Distractions.” The incense, I discovered, was not to enhance the meditation. The incense was there to provide a distraction; to make meditation more difficult. The more difficult the meditation, the more effective it would ultimately be.

Sometimes, our suffering is simply a distraction.

Higher Power’s goal is that we should enjoy creation. There is so much to experience and enjoy in a lifetime on the planet.

Sometimes our purpose is simply to find ways to enjoy and appreciate the gift of life, despite our suffering.

Once a person is able to be in that place of joy, more blessings are often added to that person’s life quite quickly.

Joy begets joy, especially in the face of suffering.