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.
We all know what it is to perform grief—to ensure that others are aware of our sadness by forcing them to see our sorrow. We may do this to gain their attention or compel their sympathy. We may do this because we make grief an idol and are only validated when others feel sorry for…
Christians have a complex relationship to suffering. We do not wish to experience suffering. It is not our desire, preference, or longing to go through times of pain and persecution, times of sorrow and loss. Yet we also know that God uses such experiences to accomplish significant and meaningful things within us. We know there…
Today was to be a day of great rejoicing. On August 14 I dropped my son and daughter at their college in Louisville, Kentucky, knowing that with all the border restrictions and quarantine requirements it was unlikely I would see them again before the close of the semester. We booked their return flights for today,…