The Pain and Suffering Cheat Sheet

Everyone encounters seasons of tragedy, pain and suffering. Christians are not exempt from these seasons. Usually, the tragedy that plummets us into pain and suffering is unexpected. Even if the tragedy were expected, the dark place of pain and suffering is not. The intensity of pain and sadness can cause you to feel that you can’t go through one more day, because living in and through this is just too hard. However, opting out of life is not an option.

The mind wants to focus on pain. The body’s desire is not to move and just sit in the pain. Your body feels heavy and encourages you to stay seated. Yet, the mind is active and continues to replay the tragic event. However, the mind will not allow you to read a book, or focus enough to watch a video or listen to a sermon. We need help to move through seasons of tragedy, pain and suffering. This place is not your new reality. It a season through which we must pass.

The Pain and Suffering Cheat Sheet is designed to help us get through the season by remembering seven short principles. A chapter accompanies each principle. The chapter explores the principle a little more in depth. A principle can be read and meditated on daily, or a principle and a chapter may be read and meditated on daily. You decide. Hopefully, you will begin to heal and grow stronger each day. The entire cheat sheet is one page.

We need to grieve after we encounter tragedy. This book is not an attempt to avoid the grieving process. The goal of this book is to help us move through the season and emerge with faith in ourselves, faith in our friends and faith in our God intact, and strengthened. When we emerge from this season, we can help others successfully navigate through times of tragedy, pain and suffering.