Suffering with hope

If “By His Stripes We are Healed,” Why Has My Healing Not Come?

Illness - both chronic and acute - have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. It's impacted the choices I’ve made and paths I’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… Continue reading If “By His Stripes We are Healed,” Why Has My Healing Not Come?

Suffering with hope

When Our Foundation Falters

To say it’s been a fight for faith is an understatement. Not because this has been the most painful season of my life, but because of the longevity, depth, and layers of hardship that have worn me to a pulp. I’ve had seasons when my agony has driven me to worship as Job did: “The… Continue reading When Our Foundation Falters

Suffering with hope

Beauty is Found in the Most Unexpected Places

The stars shine brightest against the blackened sky. Oak trees gain their stability and strength by enduring fierce storms. Pearls are found hidden within the depths of the sea. Diamonds are formed under intense pressure and heat under the earth’s crust. In God’s world, beauty is often found in the most unexpected places. And our… Continue reading Beauty is Found in the Most Unexpected Places

Suffering with hope

A Response to John MacArthur’s comments on Mental Illness From a Family it Has Misjudged

I write this article with an aching heart for countless families who have been affected by mental illness - including the dozens who have reached out to my husband and I in desperate search for help, hope, and community. And since hearing the comments made by John MacArthur on a recent panel, discussing his view… Continue reading A Response to John MacArthur’s comments on Mental Illness From a Family it Has Misjudged

Suffering with hope

Comfort in The Cross

"Where are you, LordWhen the darkness swallowsWhen your silence deafensIn a multitude of sorrows? Where is your comfortWhen pain aboundsWhen companions fleeAnd loneliness resounds? Where is your justiceWhen the innocent are huntedWhen the wicked prosperAnd their evil is flaunted? Where is your compassionWhen a heart can bear no moreWhen weariness overwhelmsAnd it's too much to… Continue reading Comfort in The Cross

Suffering with hope

Words Spoken Out of Grief, Not Unbelief

Job has been a kindred spirit to me for much of my life. Not out of desire, but out of necessity. As I’ve tried to grapple with deeply painful realities that appear to be at odds with who God says he is, I’ve had two options: go the easy route and deny God’s existence and… Continue reading Words Spoken Out of Grief, Not Unbelief

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 there's a God, and whether you believe he'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

Growth Often Feels like Death

"So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will… Continue reading Growth Often Feels like Death

Suffering with hope

What’s the Point if the Pain Has no End

I slowly worked my way to the window and opened the blinds for the first time in over a week. My world had shrunk down to the next time I could take more pain meds, the next time I had to force down a little food and fluids to keep the ER at bay, and… Continue reading What’s the Point if the Pain Has no End

Suffering with hope

Seek God’s Face Before You Seek His Hand

Recently, we were discussing at Bible Study what it means to seek God‘s face, as it says in Psalm 27:8: “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” As I listened, what struck me most was the importance of distinguishing between seeking God’s hand and seeking his… Continue reading Seek God’s Face Before You Seek His Hand