Your suffering, no matter how small, is never ever meaningless

Posted on October 06, 2024 by Sarah Anderson, One of Thousands of Christian Coaches on Noomii.

Hello fellow soul journer,

I’m glad you are here. It tells me you are hurting but you still have hope. I want you to know I have been praying over you. I may not know what problems you face but I know what pain feels like. I also know the one who knows your pain and has collected every one of your tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8) because they matter to him too.

Growing up as a Christian I knew storms would hit and trouble would come, but I never knew what to do when they did. I often felt very alone and like God was a million miles away. So I did what the world does, I put up a stiff upper lip, pulled up my big girl pants and I grinned and bore it. The only problem was that under the stress, confusion, panic, anxiety, isolation and pain I would begin to break down in my heart, mind, my relationships and my body. Then when breakthrough finally came I would spend months recovering only to be hit with something new and so the cycle would begin all over again.

However, by the grace of God I learned there was a difference in how a Christian ought to suffer that differs very much from the rest of the world. I learned that the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort is real and will truly be there for me. I tore down my false and weak theological foundation and embraced the truth of the scriptures. I leaned into him and learned there was a peace that was beyond understanding.

So come with me and let’s find God together in the midst of this dark, cold and painful place. Let’s take down those heavy loads and overwhelming burdens and bring them to the feet of Jesus. Let’s find power in our weakness and the strength to endure. Let’s throw off everything that entangles us and get to the end of the finish line strong and more than victorious.

I want this for you. Do you know what I want most? I want you to be free from that form of suffering that complicates suffering and compounds your pain. Free from that big WHY GOD? that leaves you feeling breathless, angry, all alone and gripping your pounding heart with what feels like a deafening silence from God. I want you free from the lie that says “if God truly loved you, you would never be facing this or be in this place.” So whether you are facing a failing marriage, a sick child, a mental health disorder, singleness, addiction, unresolved church pain, a disability, anxiety, infertility, a lost friendship, death of a loved one, I want you to know your suffering is never meaningless and it is never for nothing. The one who made you loves you very much and “God would never do something to you that wasn’t for you” (Elizabeth Elliot). We may not understand everything from this perspective but one day we will. We will see the purpose of it all according to his perfect judgment and unfailing wisdom.

So in the meantime let’s learn how to suffer well. To not just survive this but thrive in the midst of it and allow it to do something good in you. It’s possible. I know it is.

God bless you and I look forward to partnering with you in this journey of the soul to find the light of his countenance once again.

The Weaver Poem
by Grant Colfax Tullar (1869-1950)

My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colours
He weaveth steadily.
Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper,
And I the underside.
Not ’til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.
He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.