Pathways Press.com

Written by Paul David Tripp, a contemporary pastor, author, and speaker.

Here’s what every sufferer needs to understand: you never just suffer the thing that you’re suffering, but you also suffer the way that you’re suffering that thing. We never come to our suffering empty-handed. We drag a bag full of experiences, expectations, assumptions, perspectives, desires, intentions, and decisions into our suffering. So, our lives are shaped not just by what we suffer but by what we bring to our suffering. What you think about yourself, life, God, and others will profoundly affect the way you think about, interact with, and respond to the difficulty that comes your way.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. [James 1:2-4]