Hope Heals In The Midst Of SufferingSample

"Forging hope as God uses us to bless others in our suffering"

{KATHERINE} I don’t think any of us can tell our most vulnerable stories in the moments they occur for fear that they may undo us. Often we have to wait until we are in a season of safety before we can open up our deepest wounds.

I had been to hell and back with scars from eleven surgeries to prove it, and two years after my stroke, I began to tell my story to anyone who would listen. I started a blog about the joys and pains of daily living with disabilities. I posted about the sobbing that came when I couldn’t lift my son James out of his crib when he called to me. I got emails, handwritten cards, and social media comments from people all over the world.

While digital community can never replace physical presence, Jay and I were comforted to know that on the other side of our computers was a world of people who were suffering in similar ways, and we could encourage them. I also began leading a Bible study on Esther out of my home, and at the end of that same year, CNN did a piece on our family that ran repeatedly during the Christmas holidays. Our hope from Christ was being presented to thousands of viewers. While Jay and I knew there would be more pain ahead, the opportunity to inspire others became a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

After two years of famine in Egypt and Canaan, Joseph was able to provide profound blessing. His brothers unknowingly came to him as the head of Egypt’s grain storage, and bowed as they begged for food. They also confessed their guilt about their treatment of their brother Joseph amongst themselves, and when Joseph heard this, he privately wept and formed a plan to bring his father and youngest brother to Egypt.

After an elaborate scheme, Joseph revealed his identity to his shocked brothers, sobbed and embraced them, then explained how God arranged for his suffering to keep all the tribes of Israel alive. His brothers are moved to Egypt, Joseph is reunited with his father, and all are preserved from death under his care. God’s goodness to Joseph in his years of suffering bring new hope and reconciliation to a physically and spiritually starved family and world.