“Spiritual maturity often gets tested in the tiny things that pop up every day. These tests come in the form of little annoyances, such as an ill-timed comment that someone makes, a misplaced phone, overstuffed drawers, annoying quirks, or cupboard doors left open.”- Bob Merritt “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and […]
“The Bible says, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble’ (James 4:6). It’s not that God simply puts up with the proud or is indifferent to their arrogance, but he actively opposes them. To those who are teachable and willing? He gives grace, forgiveness, and . . . second chances.”- Bob Merritt […]
“I actually begin to feel grateful for pain’s unique counsel. I start to believe that life’s pains can surprisingly become gifts. Suffering shakes up everything, but eventually it all must settle. With Jesus at our side, it all settles on hope.”- Aubrey Sampson In Appendix A (“Advice – or not: Advice about Advice”) of The […]
“In our suffering, and in life’s inexplicable mysteries, we can take courage. We may never be able to answer all of the hard questions. But think about it — the very fact that the evil in our world feels wrong and unjust, that sense we have that life should restore, uplift, and renew– that itself […]
“Although Jeremiah’s resignation may seem like despair, the difference between lament and despair is a thin line — and that line matters. Despair gives up. The word despair is from the Latin de (down from) and sperare (hope). Despair moves down from hope. Lament is the opposite. Lament moves us up to hope.”- Aubrey Sampson […]
“There are gifts hidden in suffering that can be redeemed only in the experience. . . . Compassion, which literally means ‘suffering with,’ may feel like the most futile kind of suffering. It changes nothing. It hold no hope of changing anything. Yet to be compassionate is to see with a God’s-eye view.”- Desmond Tutu, […]
“No matter where you find yourself politically or theologically, we can all humble ourselves to the point of lamenting with others. In fact, lament is crucial if we want to build relational bridges with the gospel — if we want to authentically display and declare God’s love to a hurting people.”- Aubrey Sampson In Chapter […]
“Take time to ask God for a fresh vision of who he is. It may not come immediately. (You might spend some time staring at your eyeballs, like me.) But I believe his response will come, and you’ll be amazed at his personal care for you.”- Aubrey Sampson Aubrey Sampson concludes Chapter 9 of […]
“The best way to bring healing to the soul is to let the Spirit of God work in our mental symbols, memories, and imagination. . . . Our imagination gives us access to our most painful, anxious experiences and feelings in a way that allows objectivity in the healing process.”- Dr. Rick Richardson, Experiencing Healing […]
“In walking with people through grief and loss, I’ve recognized how . . . they’re desiring to connect, to be validated that their suffering or the injustice they are facing hasn’t somehow disqualified them from personhood. They’re not even coming for answers — they just want to be reminded that God hasn’t forgotten them.”- Mitchel […]
“This is our firm foundation in disequilibrium — a God so intimately intertwined with suffering that he transforms the very nature of suffering itself. Jesus gives us a new way to suffer. Christians can suffer with yet-attitudes — we can cross the line of vav — because we go through life with God as […]
“[Jesus] embraced his limitedness. He lamented that he didn’t feel God’s presence and couldn’t do anything about it. In our own suffering, we don’t have to do much more than that. Part of the reason you’re panicking is because you’re trying too hard to control the outcome of lament. You’re trying to be limitless. Just […]