On Suffering Lovingly
A theological reflection on suffering within a Christian framework, examining how love and compassion respond to and transform human suffering.
I define hope as the expectation of coming good based on the person and promises of God. Hope is a kind of emotional energy to live well in the present in light of what’s coming in the future.
Notice the link between perseverance and maturity: We don’t think our way into maturity, or even feel our way into maturity, we persevere our way into maturity.
Maturity is not the result of reading a lot of books or listening to a lot of podcasts or mastering a repertoire of self-help techniques.
Maturity is the result of “a long obedience in the same direction.” It’s the cumulative effect of a lifetime of prayer and surrender to God as we persevere through various trials
There was zero correlation between the nature of the trauma and the potential for recovery. It turned out, the number one factor in recovery was whether or not a person had family or a friend or some kind of an emotional support group to talk about and process the pain with.