The first devotional made me cry, not out of sadness, but from a sense of connection I have never before felt to Joni. Joni knew what it was like for me because she had felt it too.
That feeling of being known and understood returned several times as I read through Songs of Suffering. Our situations are remarkably different, but Joni shares many of the same feelings I have experienced. Perhaps you too.
Read MoreIt wasn’t until the storm came and beat against the man’s house that he could see for himself that his foundation was secure. How will we know if our foundation is solid as a rock? By seeing how well it holds up during a storm.
Read MoreGod allowed Job to ask and ask and ask God to explain the purpose for his suffering. If it was ok for Job, then it must be ok for us too. Scripture gives us 5 clear purposes for why God allows suffering. Knowing God’s purpose for your suffering will bring you the peace you long for. When you know how to glorify God in and through our suffering, you gain the strength to endure.
Read MoreSuffering is perplexing. It sets us in circumstances that are difficult to comprehend. In our disorientation, we might struggle to accept our new circumstances. We may be tempted to believe that no one else can understand either.
That is a lonely place to live. And it’s not true.
Read MoreMissionary, Amy Carmichael, made a sign with the words, “In everything, give thanks,” and marked each corner with the initials of hardships she was enduring. She gilded the edges and hung that sign in her cabin. Every time she looked upon it, she thanked God for the things represented by those initials, including rats and cockroaches.
Upon reflection, I realized I have never thanked God for my undiagnosed bleeding disorder. I have not thanked him for a horrendous experience in the ICU or for the loss of my lung. I did thank him for teaching me beautiful truths through those experiences but I have never thanked him for the experiences themselves.
So, I made my own sign, “In everything give thanks,” and I jotted down initials of my own personal sufferings in the corners and I placed it on my bedside table. Because I love this lesson so much, I made signs for you too. You can download a card and write your own initials in the corners.
Read MoreDenver-based writer and therapist, KJ Ramsey lives with a painful chronic disease, ankylosing spondylitis. Her new book, This Too Shall Last, explores the paradox of suffering with a loving God. Here are excerpts from our recent conversation.
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