A Vocabulary for Suffering

I recently bought two new books by the same author - Nancy Guthrie. I was briefly introduced to Nancy (methaphorically) through a box goodies for the missionary wives while we were in Peru. Each of us was sent the book, Holding on to Hope, Nancy's memoir of the births and deaths of two of her children. At the time, I remember a couple of us talking about whether to read the book together - and I think it was decided that we had enough we were dealing with living where we were - we didn't feel up to depressing ourselves more.

That was early 2007. That was also the year that a friend died from a bike accident,  my husband's grandfather passed away, his grandson unable to go to the funeral because of the high cost of flying from one continent to another,  my father -in-law was diagnosed with cancer, and dear friends, and a whole church, our church, lost a beloved little boy.

Suffering became very real to me that year, real to almost everyone I knew and loved, as well as the questions of where was God and what was he doing in it. It is true, that I had been doing a bit of suffering on my own at the time, but my grief was still yet to come. So I was grateful I had dear friends who were open with their grief - and real - and they didn't turn from God. This was life-changing for me. I was beginning to see suffering as a reality of a fallen world, not the exception to the rule of life, and also survivable.

My grief came the next year when my only brother died in his sleep at the age of 43. And while one is never prepared for such a thing, I must say that I was more prepared than I would have been a year earlier. But regardless, the grief is still significant, and painful.

I know now, that suffering is a reality - and to act like you will never be asked to suffer is foolishness. So I very much appreciate Nancy Guthrie, and her story, as well as the many other stories I have heard and been a part of these recent years, especially. And I look to these wayfarers along the journey as a cloud of witnesses - if God can walk with them through their grief and suffering, he can certainly walk with me through mine.

In light of these thoughts, here is an interview with the Guthries entitled "A Vocabulary for Suffering".

I did finally read Holding on to Hope, and I plan on reading the other two books I just bought very soon - Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow and Hoping for Something Better. They were recommended highly by someone I absolutely trust in regard to suffering and faith - someone who knows firsthand. Nancy also has one more book that has just come out or is on the way, Be Still My Soul.

I trust Nancy (and R.) because she won't give easy answers - she knows that sometimes, some days, there is no answer - there is only walking by faith.  But she is a helpful guide along the way, to be sure.