Thankful in Suffering

Thanksgiving is upon us but with a very different feel & flavor. This year, Thanksgiving will be tinged for many with suffering - physical, emotional, spiritual. And yet - we believe a gospel that promises a paradox - the ability to have peace, contentment, even joy in the midst of suffering.

I experienced this at a very personal level this past Thursday.  Early that morning I had to see my wife off to the ER by ambulance. She had spent the previous 10 hours suffering extreme dizziness and nausea to the point of dehydration. A quick video chat with the doctor resulted in a 911 call.

In the current COVID environment I was not allowed to go with or follow her. After she left I fired off a series of emails and texts to family and friends to ask for their prayers. And then it happened - a very tangible sense of peace and confidence that my God was in charge, that He who loved her even more than I do had our best at heart. It was a calm like no other.

The good news was that there was no stroke but a type of vertigo caused by an inner ear infection. She was able to come home the next day and she is now recovering nicely, if slowly.

Reflecting on this past week, my devotional readings have also reinforced this idea of Christians as those who “suffer well”, whether that suffering is from circumstances or other people. In such times, we have the opportunity to emulate our elder brother Jesus and model an approach to life that will cause others to ask about the hope that we have. Why?  Because it is something that cannot be manufactured as a human response.  It is the result of His promised presence in and through us.

My prayer then this Thanksgiving is that whatever limitations, whatever suffering we have to endure, that we will take it to the One who truly understands and is able to give us peace, contentment, and yes, even joy, in and through it.