Suffering and Surrender

I don’t think any of us like to talk about suffering. We’d rather move past it quickly, find a fix, or distract ourselves until the ache fades. I know I’ve tried all of those. And yet, no matter how we spin it, suffering has a way of pulling up a chair at our table. It lingers longer than we expect.

For me, I’ve wrestled with the idea that suffering isn’t random—it’s allowed. And more than that, God can actually use it. That’s hard for me to swallow… especially when I’m in the thick of it.

When life feels like pressure, loss, or betrayal, the last thing you want to hear is that it could be “for your good.” I don’t believe God calls the pain itself good. I do believe that pain can serve a purpose and that God is able to weave even the worst moments into something redemptive.

So, what do we do when suffering shows up?

Do we run from it? Do we numb it? Do we hide behind busyness? Or do we pause, sit with the ache, and let God into the very place that hurts?

That’s not easy. Inviting Him in means laying down control. It means saying, “Lord, I don’t understand this, but I’m going to trust that You do.”

I’ve noticed that suffering strips things away. The things I thought mattered—titles, applause, my own strength—suddenly don’t hold the same weight. What rises instead is dependence. And dependence is not weakness, though it feels like it. It’s actually where intimacy with God grows the deepest.

Maybe you’ve been there too. Maybe you’ve asked: “How long, God? How long will this last?” I’ve been in that “how long” season. And sometimes, the only prayer I could muster was just that: How long?

After seasons of suffering, I realize that it doesn’t mean God has abandoned me. It means He’s forming something in us—something endurance-shaped, something eternal.

I have had to ask myself one central question:

DO I BELIEVE GOD IS GOOD?

Is He FOR me?

Do I TRUST His character, even when I can’t TRUST what it looks like right now?

I don’t always get it right. But every time I whisper yes, even a trembling yes, I feel Him steady me. And I remember: suffering isn’t wasted when it’s surrendered.