Religion & Spirituality
In the faith tradition I grew up in, there really was no place for a theology of suffering and pain. It was something that was to be prayed away or never occur in the first place. People hid suffering or felt shame around it, feeling they maybe their faith was insufficient or there was some unconfessed sin in their life that hindered healing. That belief system has grew more and more troublesome to me until I threw it out altogether years ago. There is something mysterious that happens in suffering and in pain, a connection with Jesus that perhaps cannot be found in other ways. My friend Kaysie Steele has experienced tremendous emotional and physical suffering throughout her life, yet her journey with Jesus has grown deeper and richer through it. Today, she shares beautifully about the suffering she experienced as a child of an alcoholic father and the suffering she currently endures due to chronic back pain. It will inspire and nourish your soul for sure. Kaysie's blog is She references the following in our conversation. They can be purchased via my Amazon affiliate links here: The Body Keeps the Score Authors David Benner and Anne Lamott