Stories of Suffering

That's right! The Blog is back. Hopefully we can use this as an opportunity to dialogue more on the subject of our latest topic as a life group: Suffering & The Sovereignty of God. I have heard of several stories recently that touch on this topic. I will share one with you.

The first story is from a guy I went to college with, who for the past 10 years has struggled with several brain tumors. His name is Tripp and he is actually the brother of one of our members at Uptown Church, Ashley Mink. Below is the latest journal entry from his wife upon getting news that he has another brain tumor that is stage III. I hope you find this helpful as we process God's purposes in the midst of suffering.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2007 09:57 PM, CDT
Psalm 33:20-22 “We wait in hope for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”
We heard from Duke today…the pathology report showed that the tumor had progressed from a Grade II to a Grade III. Somehow, though it was hard to hear, both of us seemed a bit prepared for the news. Our doctors at Duke are recommending radiation and chemotherapy immediately, so we will be talking to various doctors and making a plan this week (along with getting a post operative MRI), and will begin treatment as soon as possible.
I (Anna) have always considered myself to be an intuitive person, so as the Lord has been teaching me that He is with me ALL the time, and that He is good no matter what our circumstances, I feared I might be learning these lessons for a reason. Just this morning, before we had received the news, some women and I were talking about how hardship and trials, despite their trouble, usually end up bringing us closer to the Lord as we learn how to truly depend on Him and recognize that we are not in control. And so we have experienced some peace today, not from ourselves, but from the Lord, who is with us now as we receive this news just as he was with us before we heard the news.
We (Ella, Tripp and I) went out to dinner tonight (Tripp’s first venture out in public with his cute little cap on), and had such a special time together eating a casual dinner at Elizabeth’s Pizza. We came home, and Ella wanted to put on music and dance (she has always been a little Tripp!); she picked out her Vacation Bible School CD and we danced to every song. The life that was in that room tonight was so full, and Tripp and I were both at once so filled with inexpressible joy and the feeling that for this moment, all is exactly how it should be; we were dancing, singing praises, and laughing like only little children can.
We could write pages and pages about how it is all at once scary and disappointing and chaotic and crazy, and then in the next moment calm and okay and peaceful and real, but for now all I’ll say is that we are grateful to have each moment that we have together, and we are grateful that we know our Maker, who is the ONLY one who can fill us up and give us joy and peace.
So we pray that the God of hope may fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
We'll keep you posted...have a good night.