Some thoughts on suffering

Suffering happens when we lose control over the people and circumstances that cause our suffering. If we had control it would not have happened at all. In many cases of sickness, the medical systems could take control of the sickness to the extent of eradicating it permanently. But however healthy a person is, and however careful that person was in keeping good health, still, sickness does happen. This simply means that no one has absolute control over one's health conditions or any other conditions.
Suffering should not be limited to sickness. We suffer due to problems in our relationships with each other. People may walk away from us, may turn hostile, may hurt us, etc all leading to immense suffering. There are no absolute means of living in healthy relationships; even if you try to the other parties may not. We have no control over their behavior.
Given this scenario, the first thing that we realize when we go through suffering is the limit of our powers that we sometimes were not aware of. This awareness that we are limited in our powers is the first lesson we learn from suffering. Suffering thus helps us to have proper self-understanding.
A believer in God has some advantages in this situation of helplessness. Though the persons who suffer realizes the limit of their powers they also realize that there is God who is higher than them who can take charge of the situation. That is why many who may not take God seriously in good times, suddenly turn to God in times of suffering. Sometimes, suffering is God's beckoning call, to himself.