Making Sense of Suffering

By Joni Tada

Suffering is miserable. When you're overwhelmed by pain and problems, it's easy to feel helpless, hopeless and sinking into a whirlpool of self-pity. Making Sense of Suffering is a Scripture-based pamphlet that will bring hope and comfort to those who are going through personal difficulties and will be a great help to groups dealing with grief, disabilities, emotional and physical trauma, divorce, and more.

Joni Eareckson Tada knows about the emotions that come with suffering firsthand. A diving accident in 1967 left her confined to a wheelchair as a quadriplegic at the age of 17. Joni knows what it's like to suffer chronic pain. Yet she has found comfort and meaning in the God of the Bible.

Joni says, “Somewhere after the first five years of life in my wheelchair, I noticed a change in my hardships. I was beginning to see how my quadriplegia was working for my good and God's glory—simply put, it meant becoming more like Christ.” With this pamphlet you will:

• Understand the answers to common questions about suffering
• Get insights into struggles that suffering may bring on your faith and how to deal with them
• How Jesus learned to cope with suffering
• Understand God’s role in our greater stories and his purpose for pain
• And much more

We’re all familiar with the popular passage in Colossians “I rejoice in what was suffered for you,” but what does it really mean? How can suffering cause any rejoicing. Dig deep into questions like these with this easy-to-read pamphlet.

Key Features of this Pamphlet

• Bible-based: scripture-focused, this pamphlet will guide you through your journey using relevant verses
• Practical: have practical advice and solutions to help yourself or those you serve
• Compassionate: this pamphlet was written by an author that has wrestled and made peace with God over chronic pain
• Easy-to-Understand: avoids complicated theology and boils down biblical principles in an easy-to-read way that you can grasp in minutes

About the Author

Joni Eareckson Tada offers hope to people struggling with health and emotional challenges. After a 1967 diving accident left her a spinal cord-injured quadriplegic, Tada embarked on a lifelong study to make sense of suffering from God’s perspective. Joni Eareckson Tada is now an international advocate for individuals with disabilities, and the founder of the non-profit organization, Joni & Friends.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
• Release date: Aug 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9781596365933

Book preview

MAKING SENSE OF SUFFERING

Accordian fold image of pamphlet

THIS HANDY EBOOK:

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?

CONTENTS

Summary

What the Bible Says About Suffering

God's Role in Suffering

Scriptures on God's Purpose in Our Pain

Suffering and My Relationship to God

Suffering and My Relationship to Christ

Suffering and My Sin

Suffering and My Faith

Suffering and My Relationship to Others

Suffering and Heaven

The Power of Example

We are God's Billboards

Tell Me Your Secret

Reflection

Your Eternal Gain

Do We Need to Suffer?

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT SUFFERING

Why do I have to suffer?

How can I possibly endure this pain?

What good could possibly come from it?

Man sitting on a bench

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 pages—but most people aren't sure