Suffering with hope

Do I Resent the Life God Gave Me?

I sat in the restaurant booth across from my husband, but I was distracted by the couple sitting nearby. As I watched them, smiling, enjoying their massive plate of gluten- and dairy-filled food, while my body ached and stomach churned, resentment began to rise in me. I bet they can eat whatever they want and… Continue reading Do I Resent the Life God Gave Me?

Suffering with hope

If Jesus Purchased My Healing, Why Hasn’t It Come?

Illnessโ€”both chronic and acuteโ€”have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Itโ€™s impacted the choices Iโ€™ve made and paths Iโ€™ve taken (or been forced not to take). It has robbed me of countless things I enjoy in life, such as activities, time with others, being the mom, wife, and… Continue reading If Jesus Purchased My Healing, Why Hasn’t It Come?

Suffering with hope

Don’t Lose Hope – Your Story Isn’t Finished

This post is a personal one for me. Itโ€™s a part of my life that has shaped me more than anything else, but itโ€™s also the part Iโ€™ve been most limited to share about.  More recently, however, the Lord has been moving in our familyโ€™s life, leading us to share more about the journey weโ€™ve… Continue reading Don’t Lose Hope – Your Story Isn’t Finished

Suffering with hope

The Three L’s of Suffering Well With Others

Weโ€™ve all suffered. Weโ€™ve all known someone else who has suffered. And weโ€™ve all been on the giving and receiving end of unhelpful and ignorant comments as a result. Suffering is simply a natural part of the human experience in this world. Godโ€™s Word doesnโ€™t leave us wondering, โ€œifโ€, but โ€œwhenโ€ the pain of this… Continue reading The Three L’s of Suffering Well With Others

Suffering with hope

A Powerful Interview With Joni Eareckson Tada – Trusting God In Suffering

If there's one person I could meet in this life, and if thereโ€™s one person I could be like in this world, it would be Joni Eareckson Tada. Her endurance and faith in such unimaginable suffering has not only profoundly shaped me, it has encouraged me to press on through decades of my own pain… Continue reading A Powerful Interview With Joni Eareckson Tada – Trusting God In Suffering

Suffering with hope

When Your Body Becomes Your Enemy

I leaned against the bathroom wall to brace myself as the room began to tilt and a rush of heat coursed through my veins. My legs turned to jello as my heart beat with chaotic rhythm, and the mirror across from me reflected a ghostly look upon my face. I could feel a blackout descending… Continue reading When Your Body Becomes Your Enemy

Suffering with hope

When Hard Places Become Holy Places

Suffering. How can one small word hold so much complexity? Even beyond the complexity of what the circumstances entail, whether or not you believe thereโ€™s a God, and whether you believe heโ€™s good and sovereign, will completely change the way you interpret the word. Even in the Christian community, the way each interprets the pain,… Continue reading When Hard Places Become Holy Places

Suffering with hope

Frozen in Grief: The Hidden Pain of Ambiguous Loss

As we drove away from what felt like the millionth doctorโ€™s appointment for our son, the new prescriptions and prospective treatments felt more like a set up for disappointment than a prospect of future hope. We had lived in this space for a decade and a half, ever since the realization that our sonโ€™s challenges… Continue reading Frozen in Grief: The Hidden Pain of Ambiguous Loss

Suffering with hope

The Great Exchange: When a Million Little Deaths Lead to the Secret of True Life

As I recently shared, this past month was one of extreme physical circumstances that left me out of commission, out of family life, desperate for relief, and weary of the battle. There were moments when I was in such discomfort, I could barely think, let alone read my Bible or pray beyond begging God for… Continue reading The Great Exchange: When a Million Little Deaths Lead to the Secret of True Life

Suffering with hope

The Rush to Redeem Suffering: Acknowledging Pain for What It Is

Suffering. How can one small word hold so much complexity? It can elicit fear, dread, anxiety, bitterness, anger, and panic. It can also stir up courage, strength, growth, humility, and faith. Suffering is so painfully complex that we struggle to find answers to it, yet it demands answers nonetheless. Which is why, I believe, we… Continue reading The Rush to Redeem Suffering: Acknowledging Pain for What It Is