Five Signs You're Having a Mid-Faith CrisisSample

Suffering Blindsides You

As we consider the signs of mid-faith crisis, there’s one that’s all too common: suffering. When we’re weighed down with pain, we often feel so alone. But the truth is, we all walk this road at some point. You are not alone.

One thing is for sure: life is full of suffering. Even a quick glance at the news or a history book, or a chat with a few friends, will clarify that no one gets through life unscathed.

And yet, when deep suffering catches up to us, we do often feel blindsided, caught off guard, betrayed. Often, it’s our faith in God we feel betrayed us. Yes, we read in Job that humans are “born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7), but we also read that if we follow God, he will give us the desires of our hearts. And the desires of our hearts are surely not for this level of pain and loss.

Suffering is a great catalyst for faith crisis. How do we square our belief that God is good and present with all the evil we experience?

This is a question that humans have asked for thousands upon thousands of years, and there’s no easy answer. But throughout the Bible, we find a different angle. Truly, no person or nation escaped suffering in these pages. Rather, these books were written to and by some of the most oppressed people in the world. Yet in their darkest moments, they found that if they slung their grief and grievances upon God—they could make it through. Not easily. Not quickly. But in shouting their laments to God, they found the courage to keep going.

What would happen if you shouted your grief and grievances at God today?