God did not create a world of suffering, man's mismanagement of this world did that.
A wealthy owner and His family
You enter a house owned by wealthy individuals. They employ maids and butlers to maintain the home. The furniture is pristine and lavish. The house is immaculate, exceptionally well kept. The owners insist on perfect cleanliness. They go about enjoying their comforts. Their children are assigned simple chores.One day, the owners leave but provide detailed instructions for their children to follow diligently, to keep the property in excellent clean condition. They also leave guidance on how to contact them for advice if needed. The parents depart, but the children immediately disregard the first instruction, and then every following directive is also neglected. As each instruction is ignored, the property gradually deteriorates. It is no longer spotless. Dirt accumulates. Pests and vermin start to invade. Soon, the once beautiful home is an unrecognizable ruin. In fact, after extensive neglect, the environment around the property becomes perilous to the children. Some fall ill, others pass away. Food supplies dwindle. The remaining children live in filth, and they decide to attempt restoring the property to its original condition but find it nearly impossible, lacking any understanding of what was needed to reach that state. The house has become a dangerous ruin, the yard resembles a desert, and so forth. The entire estate has descended into complete disorder and chaos, yet the children must continue living there despite its condition, avoiding hazards as best they can and preserving what little they can.
The pipes are clogged, and they do not know how to repair them. The yard requires attention, but they lack any knowledge on how to cultivate it. None of these skills were ever taught to them because their parents never wanted the children to handle such tasks. They were given simple chores like sweeping and cleaning. More complex work was left to the parents themselves or the professionals they employed.
Out of shame, embarrassment, and fear, the children never reach out to their parents, leaving them trapped in this unsolvable mess.
A stranger arrives, notices the situation, and asks one of the children why they live in such dangerous conditions. The child answers that their parents left them there. The stranger then questions what kind of parents would let their children live in such hazardous surroundings. The children, avoiding blame for ignoring their parents’ instructions, portray their parents as heartless and uncaring, unaware that if they had followed every direction precisely, the property would have never fallen into such ruin.
When the parents finally learn of the state of affairs, instead of reprimanding their clearly regretful children, they show forgiveness. Rather than attempting to restore the worn down estate, they decide to build something new and even better.
This story serves as a metaphor for the fall of humanity, redemption, and ultimately salvation, offering an explanation for why the world is in such chaos, with conflict among people and creatures, suffering, illness, and more.
The book of Genesis clearly depicts God entrusting mankind with the care of the earth and its creatures.
Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.
He provides fundamental guidance along with a warning that a single act of disobedience would lead to death and devastation. God intended that maintaining the world's perfect harmony and balance depended on adhering to His directions. However, after one act of rebellion, humanity fell into repeated acts of ignoring His commands, condemning the planet to a perilous state of disorder.
Man was granted authority over every animal in the fields. His relationship with God was key to governing the world successfully, without suffering or death. Yet, due to man's disobedience and shame, he lost that connection with God and was left to manage this complex world on his own. The outcome is a world marked by suffering, illness, violence, and death.