I see that my previous remark ("man was created for the express purpose of suffering") is finally being touched upon. The question then seems to be - Why, and to what purpose, was suffering created?
I don't know.
But I can tell you what little I do know, which is the classical and Christian view of the matter. In the Roman tradition at least. I'm not at all clear what Reformed Church thinks on this question, but would be eager to learn.
The classical understanding of suffering precedes Plato, going back to the great Greek tragedians, in particular Aeschylus. Suffering, on this view, is purification of the soul. Plato gives much evidence of endorsing this view.
And the Purgatory of the Roman Church is the "place" which sinful but salvagable souls must repine for purification purposes, before they may stand before the Throne of God on Judgment Day.)
In the Gorgias, Plato goes so far as to suggest that a man devoted to justice, should he break the law of the polis, would not try to avoid punishment, suffering; but would embrace it, for his own good, his own purification -- so that when he finally stood before his Divine Judge (as inevitably he must), his soul would be as pure and clean as possible, purged of the stains incurred in the conduct of a sinful life.
Such explanations probably come as cold comfort to the modern mind.
There is the view, of course, that human beings are saved by grace alone, that they really don't have to do anything but have faith in God; for Christ does all the work of salvation for us. Effort ("works") from the human side counts for exactly nothing.
In that case, it seems to me that suffering would be perfectly pointless and gratuitous, too.
Thoughts, pointy head? Whatta question! Thank you so much for writing.