The big picture when it comes to suffering is knowing the Lord who suffered.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada. And there’s a statement that goes, “The humanist looks deep into his suffering to find meaning for it. But the Christian looks far beyond his suffering to see his place in God’s big picture.” Wow that’s so true. I mean, look, God created us to be rational humans; and Christians cannot help but look for meaning – just consider Job. He suffered great loss and tragedy, and he and his friends went on and on trying to pinpoint the cause of his suffering. Well, you and I aren’t much different. And though we should not be faulted for looking for meaning in our hardships, it must not be the Christian’s primary pursuit – our soul’s quest should be to know God in our suffering. Friend, wisdom is not the ability to figure out the meaning behind our pain; wisdom is trusting God – especially when – we cannot find meaning. The big picture when it comes to suffering is knowing the Lord who suffered.
© Joni and Friends