Suffering Well: A Series of Reflections
Dear reader, Recently, while praying for those in our community who are hurting, these words came to me: “Learn what I am teaching you. Everyone is suffering. Few know how to suffer with me.” The following blog posts are reflections from members of our community who have suffered deeply and who continue to struggle to suffer with Jesus. They have not run away. In the darkness, in the midst of their sadness, they have looked to the God who suffers…
Suffering Well…Through Broken Family Relationships
reflection by Tony K. My sense of loss and suffering is related mainly to familial relationships, including those with my own sons, which have been lost or broken through mental illness, drugs/alcohol, incarceration, and abandonment. This hurts my heart, mostly. Loss is something that comes up in my thoughts daily, not necessarily as an obstruction to moving forward with life, but as brief moments of sadness. This sometimes happens when I look at the success of others, particularly around relationships…
Suffering Well…Through the Valley of Grief
reflection by Kathi G. We do not expect the baby to live more than 24 hours. The baby was our daughter Jessie who had, just hours before, been born with a rare genetic disorder called Trisomy 13. My pregnancy had gone full term with no indications of any problems until Jessie entered the world. From the moment I saw her it was obvious that something severe and serious was happening. But I never thought we’d lose our little girl so…
Suffering Well…Through the Loss of a Child
a reflection by Jessy W. On February 9th, 2023, my third-born son Joshua was delivered via emergency C-section at 26 weeks and 4 days old when I had a placental abruption. By a miracle of God, both of our lives were spared and he was delivered safely and transferred to the NICU where we expected him to stay for the next 11 weeks or so. But over the next several days, he unexpectedly experienced several complications due to prematurity. On…
Suffering Well…Through Long COVID
reflection by Larry T. I’ve learned a lot past two years. In 2021 I got Covid, spent 12 days in the hospital, 5 days in ICU, lost 30 pounds in 2 weeks. When I finally came home, I was completely helpless. I couldn’t get out of bed on my own or do anything on my own. My wife had to do everything. I used a walker and was on oxygen for 7 weeks. Early in my slow recovery I was…
Suffering Well…Through ALS, part 2
This is part 2 of an interview conducted by Nathan Oates with Eric C. in Feb. 2024. If you missed the previous post, part 1, please start there. E: I was losing my ability with my right arm. I thought it was carpal tunnel. July 6, 2022 was the last day I ever ran… All of that was ALS. But even then I thought, “God, if you want me to continue running or to continue in school you must give…
Suffering Well…Through ALS
The following reflection is the first of two from an interview of Eric C. by Nathan Oates recorded on February 12, 2024: This is what God has for me…not that he gave ALS to me… but it is for his glory… N. What have you learned through this experience?E. Our bodies have a life…we all have a battery…we’re losing charge. We’re all going to die. I’ve learned to be grateful for every breath I have because ultimately ALS will take…
Suffering Well…Through Childhood Trauma
a reflection by Heather N. Suffering. It is unavoidable. It is tethered to the human experience. Suffering looks different for each individual, but it is inevitable. For me, suffering looks like severe childhood trauma; it looks like a dysfunctional and emotionally abusive relationship; it looks like a physical expression of pain from an imploding emotional state. For you, maybe suffering is so much bigger, or not as intense, but to each person their suffering is excruciating and no one can…
Suffering Well… After the Loss of a Spouse
A reflection by Craig D. How does one suffer well? In my case, unintentionally. Yes, I’m a follower of Jesus and I know all the stock verses and sayings. But that presumes my brain and my heart were functioning normally. Neither was. My heart was broken. My best friend, my precious Judi, was gone. My mind was a fog, it couldn’t put thoughts together and process them. So, if I suffered well, it wasn’t because of me or my actions.…
Love May Abound
There’s a lot of bad news swirling around the Christian church today. Maybe it’s always been that way. This was certainly the case in the Apostle Paul’s day. In nearly every letter her writes he addresses some kind of challenge against – or within – the church. Apparently it’s a constant: lots of really challenging societal issues to navigate and political realities to figure out and cultural differences right in the church… In other words, it’s always been a challenge…
Far Too Easily Pleased
Perhaps the most important paradigm shift that you and I need to make in our default way of thinking in order for our thinking to be converted to a Christian way of thinking is shifting to thinking of joy as something that can exist IN THE MIDST of suffering, not after it. Basically it’s the shift from either/or thinking to both/and. It’s easy to think, “when the anxiety is over, then I’ll experience joy.” Or “when the suffering is…
The Stations of the Cross
[We’re grateful for the beautiful art created by Scott Erickson @scottthepainter] The “Stations of the Cross” mark some of the critical scenes in the final moments of Christ’s ministry – his suffering and his death. You’re invited to enter into this story by viewing these images and reading these portions of scripture. As you spend time with this art and with these words from the Bible, remember this: Jesus suffered and died for the sin of the whole world. Every…