Jeremiah 12

v1. You are always righteous, Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?
- the famous Problem of Evil. philosophers have been trying to answer why bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people. how can evil exist in the world if there's such thing as a God.

v4. How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and birds have perished. Moreover, the people are saying, "He will not see what happens to us."
- basically the people are seeing all this evil and God not magically making life better, they've given up hope and faith in God.

v5. "If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?
- "Without suffering, there is no compassion." is a quote from one of my favorite movies- A Walk to Remember. i think it can apply here too. how will your character build up without suffering? there is no such thing as an easy thing in life. just ask anyone who lives.

v14-17. in these last couple verses, God's directions are clear-cut. if you disobey God's commands, He'll punish you and take away all that's good in your life, but since He's a God of grace, He'll still bring you back. but that's because He wants you to LEARN from your mistakes. He's a God of second chances and compassion. but you keep screwing up, and He'll lose patience with you too.