Quotes about Suffering

He transforms pain, using it to teach and strengthen us, if we allow it to turn us toward him.

Because of Jesus, I can never say about a person, "She must be suffering because of some sin she committed"; Jesus, who did not sin, also felt pain.

suffering can serve as instruments to teach us the value of dependence, and unless we learn dependence we will never experience grace. The apostle Paul gave the Corinthians an

The medical community now freely admits that in a larger sense a person's attitude is one of the chief factors in determining the effect of all suffering.

the same answer from suffering people: it matters little what we say — our concern and availability matter far more.

Viktor Frankl, who spent time in one of Hitler's camps, said, "Despair is suffering without meaning.

the best way to prepare for suffering is to work on a strong, supportive life when you're healthy.

Pain allows us, the fortunate ones at least, to lead free and active lives. If you ever doubt that, visit a leprosarium and observe for yourself a world without pain.

Where is God when it hurts? I have often asked. The answer is another question, Where is the church when it hurts?

That this world spoiled by evil and suffering still exists at all is an example of God's mercy, not his cruelty.

Modern books on pain make a sharp contrast. Their authors assume that the amount of evil and suffering in the world cannot be matched with the traditional view of a good and loving God. God is thus bumped from a "friend of the court" position to the box reserved for the defendant. "How can you possibly justify yourself, God?" these angry moderns seem to say.

Perhaps the greatest way to give suffering people time is being patient with them — giving them room to doubt, cry, question and work out strong and often extreme emotions.