Why does God allow children to suffer?

God, looking down upon his little children, sees them struggling with temptation and their many sadnesses, and if you would but allow it, He could gather all into his mighty arms, when grief could touch you no more. 

But because you cannot always do that, He does not stand aside, but ever and ever again wards off the enemy and brings into the very surroundings, which hurt you most, the brightness and the sunshine of His Presence. 

All will acknowledge that, at times, if not always, they feel the warmth of his most blessed love close unto them, and they marvel that anything could be strong enough to come in between.

Little children on a long journey—that is what you are, and if only you wish to do the right thing, it is not more serious than that. 

It is only if the influence could be great enough to turn you from the light to darkness, that real evil could come.

As it is, you are little children on a long journey. 

Sometimes, you delay yourselves by stopping for this and for that—

It is like plucking the red berries, which have danger in their beauty, but we are there, and just as the mother would watch her child, so we loosen the fingers and cast the temptation aside. 

Come along, we say, there are lovelier things in front, and in a moment that which so attracted has passed from the mind in the anticipation of what lies ahead.

Again, sometimes, children are rather heedless—they carelessly run on, and in spite of the warning, lo, the stone in the path is unseen, and down they go. 

Of course, we are distressed because they suffer, but a child's wounds soon heal, and taking the lesson to heart, for a little while, they are content to walk by our side.

These things happen in the life of all, however great or important the position held by the one concerned—

These things occur, and all the superiority about being experienced and grown-up avails nothing.

When they come here and see things as they are, they will say that it was, even as I said, like a child on a long journey that grows very tired, that stumbles and falls, but the parent brings that child safe home at last, and that is the only point that counts in the reckoning up. 

The child is safe home at last in her Father's house, and the great Father of us all knows how to wipe out sad memories, and all those things, which we would forget, and in their place gives joy and peace and understanding.

And so, my children, I leave you tonight, hoping that you, on thinking over these simple words, will gain comfort and also comprehension of what physical life really represents, and above all to make your own the thought of the mighty, overwhelming love of the Father, who never loses patience with his children, who never wishes He had left them behind. 

No, the great Father is different from the earthly father in many, many ways—

He knows that in time the child will recognise the link between them when He can do for that child and give to that child all that his heart longs to, and then the love between them is complete.

The Christ Messenger, Zodiac