I am realizing how little I know about what it is to really suffer in a Christian way.
Since the beginning of the year, I have walked through grief and loss with many dear friends and really been convicted of how little I know about how to deal with those things, even though they are common to all people. Believers in different periods of history (as well as contemporary believers in other parts of the world) had well-rounded theologies of suffering and death, and what it means to live as a follower of Christ in the midst of that. As I am being challenged to grow in both my spiritual life, and confessional knowledge, I also want to wrestle more with this question of how I, as one who hopes in Christ, should respond to the suffering that the Lord allows into my life.
I hope to write more about this topic, soon, but, for now, I just wanted to share that it is a subject that has been much on my heart and mind.
Since this is a short post, I also wanted to share some quick resources with you:
1) If you have never heard this song before (or even if you have!) I encourage you to listen to it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQan9L3yXjc
2) I highly recommend the author Nancy Guthrie, when it comes to processing through suffering. I heard her speak at a women's conference last year, and she has so much wisdom and sensitivity to suffering. A couple of her books that I'm looking forward to reading are "Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go" (About a Christian theology of death) and "Be Still, My Soul" (About how Christians can face suffering in light of the hope of the Gospel). Both are collections of the writings of some fantastic authors throughout history.
To get a taste of her writing, you can read this blog post on how to care for people who are suffering: http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-not-to-ask-someone-suffering
