But Why do Christians Suffer?

So if a person turns from sin and follows Christ and has all of his transgressions fully paid for why does he still suffer? Doesn't God care about his children? If he is a loving Father why doesn't he protect his followers from harm?

Paul writes about this subject in Romans 8:25-39. Verses 38 and 39, the last two verses of this passage, say this:

I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But the really encouraging verse is verse 28 which says, "we know that for those who love God all things work together for good." The good that Paul refers to is not the absence of tough situations or hardships in life because we know from reading the Bible and from looking at the world around us that Christians are not immune to suffering. Instead, the good that God brings out in us through these things that we suffer is revealed in verse 29; it is, "to be conformed to the image of his Son." God allows suffering in our lives in order to make us more like Jesus Christ! This world is our training ground where we learn and grow and have our character shaped to bring God glory.