I suppose I "suffered" when I was in basic training in the military. Or when I had to prepare for exams in college, especially when when the course material was something I really didn't give a hoot about. But in both cases, the "suffering" ultimately gave good results: after graduating from boot camp I had learned how to salute and wear the uniform, along with other skills in the military culture (although I was never much the military type), and in college I earned my degree, which gave me entry into jobs for which I otherwise would not have qualified. I don't mean to trivialize real suffering: a devastating illness, loss of a loved one, loss of employment, etc., etc. Like anyone who has hung around planet Earth for a while, I've also had my share of genuine suffering. But I think it is worth considering that perhaps we are here to learn certain lessons --- perhaps we even planned to learn certain lessons --- and that suffering in this life is all part of that process. This fits in with the "suffering-is-part-of-our-growth-as-humans" point which the author includes in his bullet list of possible explanations or suffering, and I agree we don't know the ultimate WHY this process takes place. But if God truly does exist, and if he/she/it is truly a god of love, then suffering which ultimately results in something good seems to be most logical explanation for that suffering.