This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen. It's an explanation other people will understand:
A lady went to a beauty shop to have her hair cut and
her nails painted and trimmed. As the lady began to work, they
began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many
things and various subjects.
When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the
beautician said : "I don't believe that God exists."
"Why do you say that?" asked Sheryl who has MS.
"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that
God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so
many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God
existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a
loving God who would allow all of these things."
Then Sheryl thought for a moment, but didn't respond because
she didn't want to start an argument. The beautician just
finished her job and the customer left the shop. Just after
she left the beauty shop, she saw a woman in the street with
long, stringy, dirty hair and not groomed at all. She looked dirty and
unkempt.
Then Sheryl turned back and entered the beauty shop again and
she said to the beautician: "You know what? Beauticians do not
exist."
"How can you say that?" asked the surprised beautician. "I am
here, and I am a beautician. And I just worked on you!"
"No!" Sheryl exclaimed. "Beauticians don't exist because if
they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and
be very unkempt, like that woman outside."
"Ah, but beauticians DO exist! What happens is, people do not
come to me."
"Exactly!"- affirmed Sheryl. "That 's the point! God, too, DOES exist!
What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him.
That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."
If you think God exists, send this to other people--If you
think God does not exist, then you have not even tried looking for Him!
