Suffering: A Purposeful Invitation
Photo by Aleksandra Boguslawska on Unsplash
Suffering Spirals Near
I’ve been watching and praying as a spiraling storm of suffering has infiltrated my circle. One by one, friends have confided their pain and loss. Ailing parents, failing marriages, struggling children, financial stress, complicated ministry, deep depression--the list could go on. Finally the spiral has made its way to me in the form of a health crisis of a loved one.
Suffering itself is not a surprise to any of us who have read the Word or have paid attention to the patterns of life on earth. Still, the medium through which suffering becomes personal always feels like a shocking curveball. Like an unexpected detour packed with heaviness and pain.
I’ve observed a variety of natural human responses to personal suffering. We wallow in it, giving way to all the worst-case scenarios and what-ifs. We fight it, pulling ourselves up by the proverbial bootstraps and attempting to claw our way out. We harden against it, growing bitter as we demand answers to our why-me’s. Or, my personal tendency, we deny it, hoping that if we don’t look pain in the eye, then maybe it will go away.
Well, friends, none of those are working well for me today. And His still small voice is whispering that there is a better way.
An Implied Invitation
Remember the “Going on a Bear Hunt” story? Each time a new challenge is presented (thick oozy mud, deep dark forests, etc) all the kids chant, “We can’t go over it! We can’t go under it! Oh no! We have to go through it!” That’s about where I’m at right now. As long as I have to go through it, I might as well milk it for all it’s worth. I don’t want to spend this entire season of suffering looking for the way over or under. Instead I want to lock eyes with Jesus and put one foot in front of the other until we’ve made it through.
He gently poses His poignant questions to my soul.
Do you trust me enough to stay soft and lean in?
Do you understand my character enough to walk through this with expectancy?
Do you want more of me?
I offer Him a shaky yes. This is not a cheesy yes spoken through a dance team smile. No cheap coffee cup cliches here. Rather, a sheer whisper of yes, less fragile than it sounds. You see, Jesus and I have a history together. He has led me through other valleys and taken me through other painful seasons. In every valley, He has spread a table before me. I have tasted and seen that He is good. In every season, He has offered Himself to me in a new way. He clarified misconceptions of His character. He toppled my idols. He highlighted the beauty of the Gospel. Looking back, it has all been worth it. Does that remove the discomfort of looking forward? No! But it does infuse the discomfort with peace and hope.
Could He make a way for us to avoid this whole thing? Absolutely! But if He doesn’t, we can see it as an invitation. He wants to give us more of Himself. We are less like kids on a bear hunt and more like deer panting for water. Every moment of suffering, whether acute or chronic, is ripe with opportunity to receive more of Him, our Living Water.
In the story, the bear is eventually found. He ends up being much more terrifying than expected. Everyone backtracks at top speed all the way back to the safety of bed. But I’m after way more than a glimpse of a mighty bear. I’m pressing in to know our Mighty God. The blood of Jesus makes it safe for me to draw near. The Holy Spirit promises to guide me into all truth, illuminating ever unfolding facets of our God.
What about you?
However unwelcome your detour is, there is a Shepherd-King who wants to lead you straight through it. Every uncertainty is an opportunity. The unknown is ripe with revelation. The invitation is no less than to find God giving Himself to us in a new way. Our hope is not to find a way out of suffering, but to find our Savior in the middle of it.
For your continued pursuit:
