Tag Archives: Suffering

Finding Real Hope in the Waiting Room

by Christina Fox, in category Sanctification

ELIZABETH TURNAGE|CONTRIBUTOR

Have you ever sat in a waiting room, your heart beating hard, walking through the many “What-if’s” of that space:

What if it’s cancer?

What if my loved one can never drive again, play tennis again, kiss me again?

What if…my loved one loses her job?

What if…my loved one has six months to live?

Whether you are the caregiver or the patient, the “what-if’s” of the waiting room can feel terrifying, and the wait can feel agonizing.

When our twenty-two-year-old son was diagnosed with a brain tumor while my eighty-one-year-old father was dying of cancer, I sat in many varied waiting rooms. During seemingly endless spells in such uncomfortable spaces, I began to wonder—what if—this space could make space for another, better kind of waiting?

When God’s Answer Is Different Than We Expect

by Christina Fox, in category Prayer

It was the answer to prayer I didn’t want to get. It was not only disappointing—it was costly.

It was one of those life situations that getting the answer I wanted would have had no grand effect on the universe, but have made my life (and my family’s life) quite lovely. Time, prayer, wise counsel, and careful planning had all gone into setting the stage. The answer I wanted would have allowed me to honor God in so many ways. The correct answer to my prayer was obvious, and I couldn’t wait to receive my blessing from the Lord’s hand.

But the answer that seemed so right never materialized. I felt as though God had failed me even though I had done everything right. I prepared for a season of action, yet God had me continue in this season of waiting. In between the sharp pains of disappointment, questions swirled like brittle leaves on a blustery day. Why had it turned out this way? Why did I have to suffer? Didn’t God care?

Consider the Ostrich

by Christina Fox, in category Suffering
SUSAN TYNER|CONTRIBUTOR I didn’t even plan this pregnancy.  Why is God letting me miscarry?  When my high school daughter finally found a group of friends, why is God moving our family out of state? Why would God give me a desire to marry and not introduce me to “Mr. Right?” This doesn’t make sense. I… Read More

Suffering in Community

by Christina Fox, in category Community
WENDY ALSUP|GUEST In December of 2014, I stole into the back row of the PCA church in my hometown on the east coast. Home from Seattle for Christmas vacation, I was at a crossroads. Facing a divorce I did not want in a city I couldn't afford to live, I nevertheless had a wonderful church… Read More

Joy in Difficult Days

by Christina Fox, in category Suffering
KATIE POLSKI|CONTRIBUTOR By all appearances, it was an ordinary day. I remember it was a rather hot spring day, and the sky seemed to burst with blue. Everything on the home front was ordinary – waking tired kids, grabbing quick breakfasts, and rushing out the door for school. My sister was in town, and we… Read More

Confidence in Times of Sorrow

by Christina Fox, in category Suffering
SHELLEY MADUEME|GUEST Since my kids have gotten old enough to express their opinion regarding what we listen to in the car, I’ve found myself listening to their choices more than I would like. My son loves books on CD, but sometimes we have a long break between books. In these gaps, one of the CDs… Read More

The Cry of Dereliction

by Christina Fox, in category Faith
SUE HARRIS|GUEST “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus cried these painful and perplexing words from the cross. Although an antiquated term, dereliction means: the state of having been abandoned. It has been used by theologians for centuries to describe this cry from our Savior. When I first heard “cry of dereliction”… Read More

Our Suffering Savior

by Christina Fox, in category Suffering
BARBARANNE KELLY|GUEST We are all familiar with suffering, aren’t we? As members of the household of God, experiencing suffering and trials is more than our common experience, it is our calling. Within our local churches there is more than enough pain and heartbreak to share. When I think about the women in my Bible study… Read More