"True hope is not about denying the suffering of history, but about refusing to believe, even in the deepest darkness, that darkness has the final say. Despair says, 'This should never have happened.' Hope says, 'Even if this happened, truth, meaning, and renewal may still follow.' Hope does not defend evil, but it refuses to let evil be the end of history.""
— Joseph Piper
Source: On Hope
Suffering, hope, darkness
Views: 392
"Suffering itself cannot draw us closer to God; it may even breed resentment. However, when the Holy Spirit works in suffering, the storm that was meant to break us becomes a strong wind that propels our ship toward the harbor of heaven."
— Joseph Allen
Source: Warning Bell
Suffering, Holy Spirit
Views: 378
"If God gives you many hardships, it signifies that He has a grand plan for you, and there is no doubt that He intends for you to become a saint."
— Inaj LoyolaSpiritual Practice
Source: Spiritual Practice
Suffering, Design, Saints
Views: 325
"Do not view the diseases, scarcity, and misunderstandings we encounter in foreign lands as obstacles. Rather, they are sandpaper used by God to wear away our natural pride. Without this painful friction, the gospel we bring to this nation would be like rusty iron, hard and cold with metallic edge. Suffering softens the truth, making it easier to penetrate people's hearts."
— William Milne
Source: A Letter of Encouragement from Milne to Colleagues of the London Missionary Society (LMS)
Suffering, disease, truth
Views: 294
"I do not believe that any suffering will come upon us without our consent. In my view, we should give thanks to God for sorrow as much as we give thanks for joy."
— Lottie Moon
Source: Dispatch of Light: Murad's Letters and Other Writings
Suffering, joy, gratitude, thanks to God
Views: 159
"The suffering has passed, and the scars left by guns and gunpowder will eventually heal, but if the hatred in our hearts is not healed, disaster will be reborn. As followers of Christ, we should show forgiveness to those who have hurt us. Our reconstruction of Beitang is not only about building high walls with bricks and stones, but also about building a bridge of reconciliation between Chinese and foreign people with love."
— Pierre-Marie Favier
Source: Fan Guoliang's public fundraising and letter of condolence in 1901