An excerpt from Castle of Wisdom by Rhett Ellis:

"I understand that God is Love, and therefore I don't understand why He allows evil and pain to exist."

"Do you think about the subject with your gut or with your mind?" the old man asked.

"I don't follow you," I answered.

"Do you think about it with your feelings, or do you set your feelings aside and truly think about the subject?" the old man put the question.

"Oh," I said. "I guess I think about it in both ways."

"Problem number one!" said Loo. "Give me an example."

"A what?"

"An example of evil or pain that makes you think you have the right to judge God."

"I don't judge God."

"Oh yes you do."

"I'm sorry I asked," I began to say.

But before I could make an apology Loo said, "Oh put a lid on it. Let's get down to business. Hit me with an example."

"Fine and good," I said, "when I was living in Vehmar, I read a horrid story in the newspaper. A man drowned his own little daughter. She was four years old. He did not drown her quickly or all at one time. He spent hours doing his evil deed. He placed her in a bathtub of freezing water, placed ice cubes in the water, mind you. He would hold her head under until her little lungs would breathe in a gush, and then he would pull her face to the surface. He would let her cough and sputter, but just before she could fully recover her breath, he would plunge her head beneath the surface again. He confessed his crime with pride, he did. His wife saw it happening, but she did not help or call for help. She was fascinated by her daughter's, her own daughter's, mind you, her own daughter's suffering. When the police examined the little girls' corpse, they found evidence of other evil deeds. The man had raped the little girl, raped his own daughter! Where was God? Was He deaf that He could not hear her screams? Was He blind that He could not see her blue face?"

"That's a sick story," Loo said, "hearing it makes me sick. Did they chop off the parents' heads?"

"No, they hung them, but...." I was frustrated, "you can't answer my question can you?"

He smiled, "Now, if you would kindly divorce your feelings from your thinking."

"Do what?" I said.

"Turn off your gut. Ignore what the story made you feel."

"I'll try."

"Good, now, let's think about the little girl's present condition for starters. Emmanuel said allow the little children to come unto me, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven, did he not?"

"Yes, he said that."

"So then we must assume that the little girl's present condition is infinitely good, yes?"

"Yes."

"Good, agreed. Now, we must not brush past that word infinite. One of Emmanuel's messengers, the most active one, the one who sent the story of Emmanuel to this place in fact, said the sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. You have read this, have you not?"

"I have," I answered.

"Good, you have the answer already then, but I will help you understand what you already know. We will do a thing that is not worthy of being done, a foolish thing really, but perhaps our foolishness will provide a clear answer to this challenge and illustrate the point. We will compare the sufferings of this present world with the glory that shall be revealed in us. Do you recall the best feeling you have ever known?"

"Yes, I do--falling in love."

"Ah, yes, what a fine feeling that is, a feeling that with time perishes like a sand castle before a tidal wave, but a good temporary, finite feeling. Now, imagine that feeling multiplied many thousands, even millions of times."

"I don't think I can."

"No you can't, but what about that feeling multiplied a mere three time. That would be a pretty good feeling, yes?"

"Yes."

"Imagine that feeling continuing for a thousand years."

"I don't think I could stand it?"

"No, you couldn't, not in your present mortal condition, so imagine that feeling continuing for three years."

"All right, I think I've got it. I think it would make me weak."

"It should. No one has ever been what we call in love for more than a few weeks. True love may last a lifetime, but that insane sensation, it must vanish or subside considerably or else we could not survive. Now, would you allow a mosquito to bite you in exchange for three years of the sensation known as being in love? By that, I mean having the good feeling without growing weak?"

"In and instant, I would."

"Good, so then you are saying that a small bit of suffering would be an acceptable and even good thing in exchange for three years of bliss?"

"Yes, of course."

"Aha, now zoom out to eternity?"

"What?"
"Imagine yourself in everlasting joy--Heaven, at home with God."
"I can not conceive of that reality--not that I doubt it. I just don't think I can imagine it."

"No, in your present mortal condition you can not imagine Heaven, nor can I, but this is the important part of our discussion. I must ask you, and you may answer theoretically since you can't truly imagine this, from the eternal point of view, would you trade a mosquito bite for everlasting joy in the presence of God?"

"Yes, absolutely. It's not even a question, and I don't have to theorize about that."

"Then you have your answer. The little girl's suffering, and in fact all suffering, all suffering combined and multiplied by thousands would seem to be nothing more than a mosquito bite from the perspective of eternity. Agreed?"

"Agreed. Not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. But, why the mosquito bite in the first place?"

"That we might be free spirits. The world is God's garden of souls. The real possibility of evil and suffering must exist if we are to have any free will in moral areas. God's purpose for this present world is the production of free, good, strong beings to inhabit His presence forever. Purpose and perspective, these are the keys to understanding why things are as they are, without judging God. God's purpose is one of love. From God's perspective, a perspective which we will soon share, all the pain in the world is but a mosquito bite. But, REALLY, not even a mosquito bite--something infinitesimally small, not even worthy to be compared. We must end our foolishness."

"Thank you," I said. I thought about the story of the abused little girl. A horrid thing, yes, but from an everlasting point of view, not so horrid a thing. I thought of her present condition and smiled. Her sufferings had been redeemed."