To the One Sick of Enduring...

Dear weary one,

I don't know exactly what you're walking through, but I sympathize with your agony and desperation. Life is unbearably hard sometimes. There are days it doesn't seem worth it to face the ongoing pain of suffering, health problems, relationships, ministry, or life.

It’s normal to be weary and want the suffering to end. The Psalmist himself wrestled:

“I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; 
I drench my couch with my weeping.” Psalm 6:6

Some days I’m weary with the cost too. The cost of following Christ. The cost of cross-bearing.

It’s ok to struggle. To be tired of enduring. But don’t give up. Look up.

"When I am weary with the cost
I see the triumph of the cross
So in its shadow I shall run
Til you complete the work begun"
When Trials Come

Looking to Jesus and His finished work on the cross propels us to endure when all around seems hopeless (Heb. 12:3). He gives us hope to continue to do what's right when we can't see results (Gal. 6:9). God also uses those desperate circumstances to teach us to rely on Him (2 Cor. 1:8-9). If we endure, we will reign with Him (2 Tim. 2:12).

And you know what else? Jesus promises rest in the midst of your heavy burdens and weariness:

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

The gospel brings freedom from sin, purpose to our pain, and glorious future hope. May the triumph of the cross, the truth that Jesus faced the worst suffering on your behalf to save you from eternal suffering, give hope to you in your weariness today.

God provides fresh grace to endure the challenges of each day. He holds you fast when all you want to do is give up. Don't lose heart: He is redeeming and restoring. There is purpose in the heartache and brokenness. If you find yourself sick of enduring today, look to Jesus to find rest and hope.

- A fellow traveler seeking to endure

Complexity of Life

If there’s one thing I’ve learned the last few years, it’s that life is far more complicated than I ever imagined.

The brokenness of this world, the physical breaking down of our bodies, the curse of sin, the idolatry of our own hearts, the many emotions that God has created us with—all contribute to the complex human beings that we are.

And put two people together, combined with different life experiences, challenges, expectations and sin patterns, and you have a recipe for disaster. This is why marriages, families, churches, and ministries are so often a mess.

Because life is so complex, counseling another believer is also greater than merely presenting biblical truth. I firmly believe that the Bible has answers and applies to all of life. But situations are not as black-and-white as I once perceived, and that makes discipling, counseling, or mentoring far different from, “Here’s the truth; just apply it.”

As Job's friends were terrible comforters, we can do the same when we tell someone in deep suffering trite phrases like, "God is working this out for your good!" While this is a true statement, it is not what someone needs to hear in that moment:

“Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on soda.” Proverbs 25:20

As Proverbs informs, our words, though perhaps well-intentioned, can hurt much more than we realize. I've recognized this as people have responded to my chronic health issues. I think sometimes, in our quick-fix culture, we want to solve the problem for someone. Yet biblical help requires time to patiently listen and wisdom to understand and discern what is really going on.

I am the first to admit that I have been way too quick to fix people’s problems. The more I experience chronic illness and suffering's effects, and the more I write about it, the more I realize I don’t know. People are complex. Life is hard. Sin is strong.

But Jesus is greater.

You see, to face the complexity of life with hope, we need more than truth to obey or something to distract from the pain. We need someone in whom we can rest our hope. We need Jesus. And we need to point others to Jesus, and not simply to what they need to do.

Let's be careful to not oversimplify life and counsel and forget that we are working with complex, hurting human beings. Point the person you’re helping to a loving Father who offers comfort, forgiveness, healing, and hope. To the God who walks with them.

Let's help people find Jesus: a powerful Savior, perfect Comforter, and great Sustainer through the pain and complexity of life.


*Additional note: Dave Furman has a book titled "Being There: How to Love Those Who Are Hurting" that is one of the best books I've read on helping others. In it he shares 10 practical things to NOT do with someone who is suffering. I highly encourage everyone to read it!

Facing Your Frailty

Do you feel frail today? Are your limitations, weaknesses, and sins at the forefront of your mind?

God knows our frailty and does not despise it:

"As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”
Psalm 103:13-14

The all-powerful God is a compassionate and gentle Father. He knows we are weak. He doesn't expect perfection, He asks for our humble dependence.

Dependence is only possible through the redeeming work of the gospel in our hearts. The gospel levels all of us to the same need: the need for a Savior.

You can face your frailty with hope today because nothing you do changes your standing as a child of God. Not your success, performance, achievements, or anything else. It's the imparting of Christ's righteousness, not your own, that makes you blameless. The gospel provides the only way to face our human frailty without feeling like a failure.

Thus the gospel brings hope to the worst sin, the darkest struggles, and the hardest pain. This means...

• When you respond sinfully again, you can turn to Him and find forgiveness (1 Jn 1:9).
• When you become fearful and anxious, you can find comfort in the Savior who will never leave you (Heb. 13:5).
• When you are stuck on your bed in pain, you can find hope in the truth that God isn't wasting anything (1 Pet. 1:6-7).
• When all around you is falling apart, you can run to the Rock and find shelter (Ps. 18:2).

God sympathizes and cares for you in your weakness and frailty. He doesn't ask you to be strong. He wants you to experience His strength in your weakness:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

If you battle chronic illness, your frailty may be more evident than the average person. But it's not a bad thing to feel frail. It means you are human, and you need Jesus and gospel hope to face your frailty.

And that is true for all of us.