AMY SHORE | GUEST

Winter crept into my heart early this past year. Weariness gave way to selfish wallowing and introspection as I reflected on hard realities during the holiday season.

December 31st, I found myself unable to breathe. A beautiful sand dollar, a Christmas gift from a friend, lay shattered on the kitchen floor. I fell to my knees in despair alongside this visual representation of my current brokenness.

January 1st, a morning filled with missed calls and urgent messages: my dad had suffered a heart attack and was undergoing surgery.

Then came January 21st when I faced the devastating reality of his death.

I couldn’t catch my breath.

The Learning Journey

“Learning to live in the reality of His presence is the essence of our prayers and our pilgrimage.”[1]

For the past year and a half, well before my father passed, I’ve been chewing on that quote from Susan Hunt around the journey to know God better amidst fear and frailty. I long to live more fully in that reality.

You may have heard the saying, “God never gives us more than we can handle.” My pride wants this to be true because it means I can pull myself up by my own bootstraps. I’ve tried. My bootstraps snapped.

The truth is, God often gives us more than we can handle so that we will run to Him in prayer, learn to rely on His presence and be conformed to His image (Col. 1:24).

This realization has sparked a journey of understanding what it means to steward suffering. Let’s explore three key insights related to this stewardship.

His Presence is a True Reality

“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Col. 1:17). Have you ever felt shattered and hopeless? Christ is the glue that can restore the broken pieces of your life. As the Creator and Sustainer of all things, He embodies the fullness of God (1:19). This fullness, once dwelling among His people in the Old Testament Temple, now dwells within us as “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (1:27). If you feel utterly alone in a pit of despair, remember He truly will never leave us or forsake us!

Paul writes, “I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the church” (1:24). While Christ’s atonement is complete, lacking nothing (Heb. 9:12), Paul acknowledges that suffering experienced by Christ will therefore be experienced by Christ-followers. When you can’t catch your breath between heaving sobs, God is a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). Those sobs are not wasted! He is present, bottling our tears and conforming us into the image of His Son (Psalm 56:8).

Living in the Reality of His Presence is a Constant Learning Journey

Living in this reality does not come naturally to us sinful, fallen humans. We must learn to reject false realities—like the idea that “God never gives us more than we can handle.” Have you experienced trial after trial that wears you down? In those seasons, false realities can lead us into a victim mentality instead of the hope-filled rejoicing that Paul encourages in Colossians (1:24).

The boot-strap mentality is another easy go-to. I often find myself gravitating toward quick, painless solutions. However, Paul reminds us that living in the true reality of God’s presence requires intentional learning (1:6-7). We must heed warnings, seek wisdom, and engage in lessons because stewardship runs toward—or more often stumbles toward—the painful and the difficult. Indeed, learning to live in this reality is a life-long journey towards maturity in Christ (1:28).

The Body of Christ Helps us Live and Learn in the Reality of His Presence

The term “pilgrimage” suggests a shared journey. Have you ever received a meal from a church friend that lightens your melancholy path and allows you to taste and see God’s goodness? Covenant community is essential for learning to live in the reality of God’s presence. Just as God called the Body of Christ in Colossae, He calls us to embrace His fully revealed and present Word (1:26-27).

The Body of Christ also exemplifies His image-bearing presence as we pray for one another’s endurance and encouragement. The saint who slips a note to you in the communion line or texts specific Scriptures they are praying for you— their prayers root us in the reality of Christ’s presence. Corporate prayer is a powerful way to bear one another’s burdens and give thanks for answered prayers when our own groanings are too deep for words (1:9, 11).

Putting it All Together

As I picked up the pieces of my shattered sand dollar and began to glue them back together, the phrase “In Him all things hold together” echoed in my mind. As the pieces rejoined, I took a deep breath realizing Christ continues His restoration in my heart. There is much suffering in this world—the kind of suffering that Christ Himself endured.[2] ( Col. 1:24). The stewardship of suffering is a reality shift acknowledging that God is God and we are not. How do we enter into that stewardship?

  • Live in the knowledge that His presence is a true reality.
  • Acknowledge that living in the reality of His presence is a constant learning journey.
  • Engage the body of Christ to help live and learn in the reality of His presence

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in the midst of suffering as we learn to live in the reality of His presence all our days!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

[1] Used with permission from Susan Hunt

[2] The Message Bible. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=colossians%201&version=MSG

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Amy Shore

Amy has a B.A. in Christian Classical Education from Whitfield College and a M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Williamson College. A former classical middle and high school teacher for over a decade, she now works in talent and leadership development. A member of Parish Pres in Franklin, TN where she is the coordinator for women’s discipleship groups, Amy has a passion for mentoring, coaching, and equipping women of all ages to grow in their faith as they do life together.