By Ptr. Jesame von Tronchin
I’ve always loved puzzles, mysteries, and things that need solving. I’ve always been fascinated by how things work and how they’re put together. Give me a Lego set and I’ll probably finish it—assuming my focus isn’t cut short.
Maybe you can relate. Some people genuinely enjoy solving problems and fixing or building things. There’s something satisfying about seeing the pieces come together and realizing how everything fits.
But sometimes it can get frustrating. You’re building something and suddenly something doesn’t line up. The pieces don’t seem to fit. After looking closely, you realize the issue was simple—you placed something in the wrong spot earlier.
But what if the problem isn’t that something is misplaced?
What if the piece you need is missing entirely?
Anyone who has ever done a puzzle knows how frustrating that can be. Everything else is there, but without that one piece, the picture is never complete.
In many ways, that’s how people approach the problem of evil and suffering in this world.
Why is there so much pain?
Why do innocent people suffer?
Why does evil seem so persistent?
Throughout history, philosophers and religions have tried to answer these questions. Some say suffering is simply the natural balance of life. Others teach that pain is an illusion or something we must simply accept. Many worldviews attempt to offer explanations.
But explanations are not the same as solutions.
Personally, I’ve had the privilege of studying—though only in a limited way—different philosophies and worldviews that try to address the problem of evil and sin. Yet in my search, something always felt incomplete. No matter how thoughtful the system was, it always felt like a piece of the puzzle was missing.
It took years before I realized where that missing piece could be found.
The Bible reveals something that many philosophies cannot: evil is not meant to coexist forever with good. Scripture doesn’t simply explain suffering—it promises its end.
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells the story of a God who refuses to leave humanity trapped in the brokenness of sin. Through Jesus Christ, God entered our suffering, carried our pain, and made a way to ultimately restore what has been lost.
Revelation 21:4 gives us this promise:
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
In other words, the broken puzzle of this world will one day be made whole.
The suffering we experience today is not the final picture.
The missing piece is Christ—the One who not only explains the problem of sin but provides the only true solution to it. And through Him, we hold on to the hope that one day every broken piece of this world will finally be restored.
Until then, we live with hope, trusting that the One who sees the full picture is still putting the pieces together.