We are all subjected to the ravages of sin, and there is no getting around that, but we do have a choice to make as to how we shall respond to God in the midst of our sufferings. From where I'm standing, the risks of rejecting God are astronomically high -- what is at stake is where I shall spend eternity. If I despise God and turn my back on Him, I can only expect at the very least an eternity of death, an eternity of unconscious nothing. But if I choose to give my obedience and loyalty to God, I am promised many great and wonderful rewards. God's promise to me is this:
"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us." Romans 8:18
With eternity at stake, it only makes sense to give God a chance, even if we do not yet have all the evidence of His goodness that we would like to have. Of course we would prefer that once we become a Christian, suffering would instantly cease in our lives, but such is not the case.
However, always keep in mind that remaining a Pagan who is separated from God does not provide a pain-free life, either. In fact, Pagans are generally destined to experience a life of constant and ever-increasing pain, sorrow, failure, disappointments, conflict, turmoil, defeat, fear and suffering, for the Pagan lifestyle is one that is given to unrestrained sin, which always brings a harvest of pain.
At least as a Christian, my God gives me the spiritual strength to resist my falling into satan's traps and temptations which is so natural for us sin-damaged humans, and by that resistance, I avoid most of the self-inflicted torment that my bad choices produce.
The other big advantage for the Christian is that our sufferings are only temporary. The most amount of suffering I have to endure is roughly eighty years, the length of a normal human lifespan, which is nothing compared to the endless years I will spend enjoying the beauties and blessings of a rich and glorious Heaven!
