I have always been a fan of thought-provoking literature. In college, I was particularly moved by a short story my English class studied, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, by Ursula K. Le Guin. Readers are introduced to a seemingly perfect city—full of beauty, joy, and abundance. But there’s a secret: the prosperity of Omelas depends on the constant misery of a single child locked away in darkness.
When youth come of age, they are brought to see the imprisoned child and thus learn the deceptive truth about their city. As some of the youth mature, they gratefully commit to success—recognizing they are able to live idyllic lives due to the suffering of one. But some are so disturbed that eventually, they quietly leave Omelas, hoping to free themselves from the moral burden.
Yet walking away didn’t change the child’s suffering—it only removed those who walked away from having to face it.
This fictional story mirrors a choice many people make when confronted with suffering in real life. The world is filled with pain—illness, injustice, loss, and evil we can’t explain. Sometimes, that reality shakes our faith. We might think, If God is good, why does He allow suffering? And in the tension of that question, some choose to walk away from their relationship with Him.
Yet leaving God doesn’t end the suffering in the world, and it doesn’t remove the suffering in our own lives.
It only cuts us off from the One who can redeem it.
It disconnects us from the gift of a church family—a community of believers who can navigate life with us through every trial and season.
Jesus was honest with His followers about the reality of this broken world: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33. The promise of Scripture is not that God will remove all suffering here and now, but that He will never leave us in it, and that one day, He will make all things new.
In Omelas, the joy of many was built on the unwilling suffering of one innocent child. But the story of our faith is radically different—our salvation was secured by the willing suffering of One.
Jesus chose the cross.
He deliberately took on our sin, shame, and brokenness. (1 Peter 2:24.) Jesus did not endure the cross because He was forcibly confined, but because He loved us.
In the beginning, God created a world that was perfectly ordered, whole, and without pain. Yet when sin entered the garden, brokenness followed. Now, each of us must traverse life knowing that challenges, hurdles, and pain will be real. For the believer, this reality points us toward hope. While we wait for the perfect Kingdom that is to come, we live in the “already, but not yet“—where Christ’s victory is sure, yet the effects of sin are still felt.
The ones who stayed in Omelas committed to living life to the full despite the suffering of one—but their joy came at the expense of another’s pain. In contrast, the abundant life we are promised in Christ is not built upon the oppression of the innocent, but upon the willing sacrifice of our Savior. He bore our sin and shame so that our joy could be complete. (John 10:10.)
And though the world still groans under the weight of sin, we can remain in Him—knowing He is the One who turns sorrow into joy, pain into purpose, and will one day restore creation to its perfect state.