It is always difficult to understand the ways of God. Impossible, even. This is never more obviously true than when we witness the suffering of a child. Many people would attest that few things pose a deeper challenge to their faith than to see a child suffering, especially if the affliction is terminal.
The suffering of a child is the theme of a new book by Heather So—a book that is difficult to read yet deeply encouraging. So is an Australian occupational therapist, researcher, and mother, whose beloved daughter Emily was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of four. Emily’s condition was immediately deemed terminal, and her cancer progressed rapidly until it reached its inevitable end.
Her mother’s book is a brief yet substantial account of Emily’s final months. Drawn almost entirely from journal entries, it provides a kind of thematic real-time account of a mother’s journey into the depths of grief. And while So was devastated by the diagnosis and grappled with some of the most difficult questions a parent can face, her faith held. She drew closer to God rather than running away from Him. She continued to love him and to serve him.
We often do not know why God calls us to suffer, whether that suffering is our own or a loved one’s. Yet we do know that as we suffer, we become equipped to help others when they endure similar trials (see 2 Corinthians 1:4). In my family, we have often found it necessary to distinguish between why God permits suffering and how he uses it. In that way, So is faithful to use her suffering as a means of encouraging others in theirs. It is through faithful testimonies like hers that others can learn how to suffer well and learn that it is possible to endure the deepest sorrows while still loving God and proclaiming his glories.
The Suffering of a Child is a brief but powerful book. Whether you are currently suffering through loss, walking with someone who is, or simply learning how to do so well, this book will prove a blessing to you.
