Joni Eareckson Tada - Making Sense of Suffering

• Brings comfort to those dealing with hardship by revealing 10 ways good can come out of suffering in less than 30 minutes.
• Gives wisdom, tips, and insight from Joni Eareckson Tada, an international advocate for individuals with disabilities, a published author, a founder of a non-profit organization, and a quadriplegic who has learned how to trust in God in all circumstances.
• Offers hope to those wondering "Why do I have to suffer?" "How can I possibly survive this?" and "What good can come from my suffering?"

The printed version of this eBook is the Making Sense of Suffering pamphlet, ISBN-13: 9781596365018

Cover photo: MGSmith

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

It is illegal to photocopy, transmit electronically, post on the internet, or reproduce this pamphlet in whole or in part in any form.

2012 Joni Eareckson Tada
Rose Publishing, Inc.
4733 Torrance Blvd., #259
Torrance, California 90503 U.S.A.
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All rights reserved.

Why do I have to suffer?

How can I possibly endure this pain?

What good could possibly come from it?

Many who feel overwhelmed by pain or problems are driven to the Bible, believing that the answers to these questions are couched somewhere in its pagesbut most people aren't sure where to begin their study. This survey of Scripture will give you a positive perspective on what God says about our afflictions.

Scripture is constantly telling us to view life from an eternal perspective. What is transitory, such as physical pain, will not endure, but what is lasting, such as the eternal weight of glory accrued from that pain, will remain forever. Everything elsenumbing heartache, deep disappointment, circumstances completely out of our controleverything else, no matter how real it seems to us on earth, is said to be "light and momentary" compared with what our response is producing for us in heaven (2 Cor. 4:17).

This kind of nonchalance about gut-wrenching suffering used to drive me crazy. Stuck in a wheelchair I wondered, Lord, how in the world can you consider my troubles light and momentary? I will never walk or run again. I will never use my hands... my back aches... I'm trapped! Maybe you see all of this achieving an eternal glory, but all I see is one awful day after the next of life in this stinking wheelchair! My pain screamed for my undivided attention, making me anxious to find a quick fix or an escape hatch.

But somewhere after the first five years of life in my wheelchair, I noticed a change in my attitude toward hardships. I was beginning to see how my quadriplegia was working for my good and God's glorysimply put, it meant becoming more like Christ.

• Suffering was forcing me to make decisions about following GodI was choosing him more often over my doubts and fears.
• Suffering was also doing a cleanup on my characterI was able to stick to promises, quit whining, not be sloppy with relationships, and be more patient. My thoughts were more pureI couldn't reach for the common temptations that used to entice me (having no hands helped).
• Suffering was making me more sensitive to othersbefore my accident, I didn't care much about people in wheelchairs, but now it was a different story.
• I realized that being paralyzed was making heaven come alivenot in a cop-out way, but in a way that made me want to live better here on earth because greater things were coming in the next life.

Nicolas Dufresne

In short, I was beginning to make sense of my suffering.

Now, many years later, I am more sure than ever that when it comes to our afflictions, God's got his reasons. Good ones. I realize that a list of reasons can sound dry and technical, but years ago, understanding the spiritual benefits behind my suffering helped answerat least in partthat sticky question, "Why does God allow so much hardship in my life?" This pamphlet will help you explore the reasons God has for your hardship.

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After a 1967 diving accident left Joni Eareckson Tada a spinal cord-injured quadriplegic, she embarked on a lifelong study to make sense of suffering from God's perspective. Joni gleaned many helpful insights from God's Word that helped her find peace in the midst of permanent paralysis and pain. These pages reveal some of those insights.

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G OD'S R OLE IN S UFFERING

Suffering involves having what you do not want, and wanting what you do not have. How we deal with suffering is strongly linked to our perspective on God and our attitude about his dealings in our lives.

Affliction itself is like a fire, having great potential for both good and bad: the same flame that cooks a steak can also ruin acres of precious forest within minutes. So it is with suffering. While in one person, suffering can mold a Christlike character, in another it has a tendency to breed self-centeredness and anger. The fruit that suffering yields in our lives depends on perspective and attitude that must be shaped by the Word of God.

God is sovereignthat is, he possesses ultimate powerand he is able to work out even bad things to accomplish good for us and glory for himself. God's relationship to suffering is somewhat mysterious, but we know for certain that he is able to steer calamities to serve his good purposes. The following verses remind me that God is in control and has every intention to make our lives reflect his glory.

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Isaiah 45:57: I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.

Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Ephesians 1:1113: In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.

S CRIPTURES ON G OD'S P URPOSE IN O UR P AIN

Discovering God's hand in hardship is really a discovery of God's Word. Take a close look at the following verses to understand a few of the benefits that can come through pain and problems. Perhaps these power-packed verses will be a lens through which you gain a clearer perspective on your own afflictions.