Category: ON SUFFERING

“Weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning.”

I risked making a category for the theme of “Suffering,” even though I know that many might avoid learning about it as much as they (we) try to avoid experiencing it. So, unless you’re in a season of suffering right now, or know someone who is, you’ll probably be apt to skip these posts altogether. On the other hand, if you’re reading this, it means you’ve at least clicked on the title, so you must have some sort of interest (whether a personal or compassionate one).

Before I had a “dark night of the soul” season myself, I had compassion for sufferers, but didn’t really know how help them. I pastored three churches for about 30 years, and as I look back over my file of messages on this theme, I realize that though I taught biblically, engagingly (if I must say so myself), and compassionately – I really had very little idea of what I was talking about. I think it was all pretty much biblical but not very personal. It’s different with me now.

Now when I hear or read someone’s thoughts on suffering I wonder if they’ve felt significant pain in their own lives or not. If they haven’t, of course they’re not disqualified from teaching others about it, it’s just that there’s a difference between knowledge and wisdom, the latter coming from experience.

I’m not claiming to know everything there is to know about physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual misery; but I have lerned a few things since I’ve wept through a night or two and have also seen the joy that comes in the morning.

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Recommended reading #6

[I highly recommend these books. Crabb's book is on dealing with suffering, Lamb's is about the difficulties we have with the Old Testament, and the ones by Cole are about how we do church and how we might do it better:  Shattered Dreams... God Behaving Badly... Organic Church...] Shattered Dreams– God’s Unexpected Pathway to Joy, …

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DON’T BRING MATCHES

[This is number nine of fourteen passages that sustained me in my dark palce a few years ago.]  10 Who among you fears the LORD        and obeys the word of his servant?        Let him who walks in the dark,        who has no light,        trust in the name of the LORD        …

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ZOOM OUT

[This is the seventh of fourteen passages that sustained me in the while in the dark.] Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So …

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