It was a rare moment of public confession.
The day had been difficult, riddled with both emotional and physical pain. Months before I'd received my third diagnosis of cancer — squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, a notoriously difficult and painful cancer diagnosis. On this particular day, the cumulative impact of radiation and chemotherapy and the weight of so much grief and fear weighed heavy on me. Yes, I still believed in the goodness and presence of God. Yes, I still trusted Him and believed Him to be with me and for me. And yet, my pain — of body and soul — left me overwhelmed with despair.
That's when I reached out to a few online friends, told the truth about my suffering, and asked for prayer. The vast majority responded with compassion, and I savored their encouragement and prayers. But one person didn't. Although I want to believe she was well-intended, her sharp words cut me down like a knife:
"Come on now, Michele. You're not in a wheelchair, you're able to walk. It's not as bad as all that."
And with those few words, she added shame to my suffering. I needed compassion, not condemnation. But not only did she disregard and devalue my pain, but she also implied the journey of faith has no room for grief.
She couldn't have been more wrong.
Nothing illustrates the juxtaposition of praise and pain in the life of faith quite like Passion Week.
Stretching from the joyful parade of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday through to the glorious celebration of His resurrection on Easter Sunday, Passion Week is a journey of extreme highs and lows. Following the soberness of the Lenten Season, during which worshippers focus on our desperate need and Jesus' devastating sacrifice, Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper and Jesus' posture as a servant, Good Friday honors Jesus' arrest, conviction, and crucifixion, and Holy Saturday mimics the sobered silence following Jesus' unexpected death. For three days, heaven and earth hovered in the tension of hope deferred. And when you and I sit in that silent stretch, we find we are not alone in our struggle.
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Jesus understands our suffering. He doesn't shame or reject us because of it. He comes closer still and sits with us in it. |
Jesus understands our suffering. He doesn't shame or reject us because of it. He comes closer still and sits with us in it. |
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God doesn't ask us to stuff our pain or pretend we are stronger than we are. He doesn't require us to put on a happy face and ignore our broken hearts. Instead, He urges us to bring our suffering to a Savior who understands. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces
He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem.
Surely, He took up our pain and bore our suffering,
yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted.
But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed."
–Isaiah 53:3-5 (NIV) Despised. Rejected. Punished. Stricken. Afflicted. Pierced. Crushed.
Jesus understands our suffering. He doesn't shame or reject us because of it. He comes closer still and sits with us in it. |
"Come to Me, all you who are weary and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle of spirit and you will find rest for your souls," He said. — Matthew 11:28 |
Although I look forward to Easter Sunday and will shout "He is risen!" with true joy, my well-worn heart feels gratitude for the difficult days leading up to it. I am buoyed by knowing Jesus understands the pain of betrayal. I find comfort in Gethsemane as He wrestles with the fear of His impending suffering. And I find relief in my pain as I crawl up to the cross and bear witness to Jesus' own.
Long before Jesus walked out of an empty tomb, He wept in a garden. And when I consider this, in tandem with His one-day return, I find new hope in my current battles. I can walk out each day of my own passion story holding both grief and praise in my two hands, knowing that faith in a crucified savior makes room for both.
When facing His own impending suffering, the Apostle Peter said it this way: |
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. — 1 Peter 5:8-11, NIV |
This is faith in the in-between, as you and I carry our crosses even while we cling to the hope of our one-day resurrection. Death still awaits us, and it's tempting to allow the horror of today to eclipse the hallowed of our tomorrows. But there is One who descended into the depths of despair on our behalf, so although we may grieve today, there is glory awaiting us tomorrow.
He is Risen! He is risen, indeed. |
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If you're suffering today, if you're in the in-between, if you're grieving, you're not alone, and Jesus understands and empathizes with you. We have a Savior who knows pain, isolation, rejection, being despised, and all manner of suffering. Sadness may stay today, but glory is coming! ~ Devotionals Daily |
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There is hope in your hardship and a God who is both with you and for you |
A Faith That Will Not Fail: 10 Practices to Build Up Your Faith When Your World Is Falling Apart |
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+ FREE shipping on all orders $35 and more | Life can be hard. Although there are moments of beauty and goodness, more often than not, life is marked by fear, struggle, disappointment, and loss. And we don't know what to do with it. We've tried to find hope and security in various people and places--but each has proved unworthy of our trust. We need more. Something--or Someone--who won't fail us when our world falls apart.
In this book, beloved author and Bible teacher Michele Cushatt presents a better way. By exploring powerful personal, historical, and biblical stories of people of extraordinary faith, she curates and shares ten practices to help you deepen your confidence and certainty in the God who can be trusted with your worry, questions, confusion, and grief. As a woman who has been through immeasurable suffering, she writes with both deep compassion and practical insight as she guides you to: - Practice lament and process grief without guilt or shame
- Understand what keeps you from trusting God and how to navigate doubt with truth
- Learn simple ways to foster shalom and gratitude on a daily basis
- Develop a fresh, eternal perspective that delivers both peace for today and hope for tomorrow
- Savor daily "faith-builder" practices to strengthen your confidence in God's love and purposes for you, no matter what happens
There is hope in your hardship and a God who is both with you and for you. These ten practices point the way to the only One you can truly trust, and ultimately, to a faith in him that will not fail. |
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| I Am helps women end the barrage of negative self-talk and replace it with an empowering new narrative. You'll exchange lies for truth, insecurity for a rock-solid identity, and break free from the distorted messages that have held you hostage for too long. |
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| Where is God when life is filled with so much suffering? How can I be sure of God's presence and affection, even in my pain? Can you believe in God and still wrestle with questions and doubt? These are the questions honestly explored in Relentless. |
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| Undone is author Michele Cushatt's quest to make peace with a complicated life. It is an honest confession of a diagnosis of cancer and the joys and disappointments of motherhood and marriage, ripe with regret over what is and, yet, still hopeful for what could be. |
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Free Holy Week Timeline Printable and Chronological Bible Reading Plan |
Free Holy Week Timeline Printable and Chronological Bible Reading Plan |
Read the events of Jesus' last week in Jerusalem in historical order from the four Gospels with our FREE Holy Week Timeline & Bible Reading Plan! Even if you've been reading the Bible for years, there is always something new to learn. Comparing the Gospels' accounts and reading them in historical order can help you to discover things that you may have never noticed before! Learn more here... |
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this devotion with someone who needs it today |
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