Suffering Well by Paul Grimmond

Title: Suffering Well

Author: Paul Grimmond

Book Information:

• Publisher: Matthias Media
• ISBN: 9781921896316
• Page Count: 165

How did I get this book: A complimentary review copy was provided to me by Cross Focused Reviews (A Service of Cross Focused Media, LLC). I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Review: This book really spoke to me. For the past twenty-three years I have experienced pain, trials, suffering, and 'tests' on various levels. As soon as I find my way out of one, I am then qualified and trusted to handle the next level and pass another. I never knew until recently that the ministry of suffering was an actual thing. I found a comfort in realizing that my pain was not in vain. Armed with this new knowledge, my perspective shifted more from my temporary discomfort to that which is eternal. I now know that the more that I go through, the more qualified I am to help someone else. 

I do have many things about my past that I regret; however, I have been forgiven by the blood of Christ and have been made righteous through Him. I know that it looks like a short distance from my head to my heart, but realizing that truth, accepting it, and then forgiving myself, has taken years of healing.

One of the things that the LORD is currently teaching me is how to leave the past in the past, to let it go, and to just move on. As He promises, though, ALL things work for the good of those who love Him. Because I can identify personally with many situations, the scope of who I am able to naturally provide comfort, help, and guidance to feels like it has increased substantially.

I have been praying for a long time that God would develop Christ's character in me and make me more like His Son, Jesus. I have come to realize that in order for that to occur,  it is required that I 'suffer well' through many of the same tests and experiences that He did. He is referred to as the Suffering Servant and His example is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about what it means to 'suffer well.'

I feel like I am currently on my way out of a few trials right now. It is in surveying what I have learned from the "predictable surprise of Christian suffering" that I draw conclusions, and ultimately choose to reinforce or reconstruct my understanding thus far. While pondering the lessons from my most recent 'ministry qualifiers,' I was given the opportunity to read and review Suffering Well by Paul Grimmond. Based on the back-story provided above, naturally I felt a desire to see what additional Bible-based information might be made available to me. 

The deciding factor that 'sealed the deal' was the following statement by the author himself regarding this insightful book: "As I began to write this book, I thought I knew pretty much what I was going to say. But the more I read the Bible, trying to find the right passages to make the points I thought I needed to make, the more uneasy I felt." After reading that, I knew that I didn't want to miss out on anything, and that I absolutely had to know what Paul's Biblical findings were on how to 'suffer well.'

Suffering Well is not limited to only addressing one kind of suffering, persecution, or trials. Reading the examples of the many things that other believers are going through around the world at any given moment in time, gives comfort to the reader. It caused me to shift my view from being introspective to realizing that on a corporate level, we all have a lot more in common than we may realize, and that none of what we may face is ever an isolated case.

Here is just a taste of some of the treasures awaiting for you in 'Suffering Well': 

• "She wants to meet God face to face and ask her questions. She wants to make Him give her some answers. Yet, for all of the anger and disappointment, in her frustration and grief her trust does not diminish." 
• "Suffering is not really a philosophical problem. Suffering is experienced, not just contemplated; it's often an event in our guts before it's a problem in our heads."
• "It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. To live is Christ, to die is gain. (Philippians 1:20-21)"
•  "I am persuaded that the key to suffering well lies in understanding the fullness about God's revelation of suffering. Almost ironically, this means we won't find God's true comfort unless we wrestle with the ideas that are initially confronting and even painful. And so a large part of what follows is a challenge simply to hear and accept God's view of suffering. We live in a world that refuses to look to God's truth for comfort, and we are affected by our world, so the pages of this book may be as disquieting as they are encouraging. I make no apology for that. I believe that God's unsettling truth is much better for us than pillow-soft platitudes. In other words, this book is more of an inoculation than a remedy. Its aim is to help us arm ourselves with the truth so that we're equipped to suffer well when the time comes."
• "In the depths of God's riches are truths about suffering that are treasures beyond compare, if you are willing to see them.

So are you ready to know that truth about suffering? How should we live as God's people in the face of suffering? What does it mean to suffer (and even die) well? Based on the Bible, what does God want us to know about Him and our world and suffering? What truth should we be armed with so that we're equipped to suffer well when the time comes?

Suffering Well by Paul  Grimmond answers all of these questions as well as many more that you may have on your heart and mind. This book absolutely stands alone and is different from anything else that I have read on the topic of experiencing different kinds of pain. I am so glad to have the Biblical insight and knowledge that this book has provided in my life. I know I will be reading and enjoying it again. As far as a rating goes, this work deserves every single one of the five stars available. I highly recommend it and think that Suffering Well will greatly benefit every single person who reads it. This is a staple for every home library or book collection. Buy it as soon as you can!

There are reasons for the storms in our lives. One purpose for hardship is to cleanse us. Because of our fleshly nature and the world that we live in, it is easy for us to develop self-centered minds. Sometimes we receive these storms in our lives to bring impurities to our attention. Usually a storm reveals the true nature of our hearts, and our initial reaction to that storm brings to the surface things that God is trying to get out of us, that we might not have been aware of otherwise. 

Our trials do not sink us; on the contrary, they are often used to guide us back to godliness. God's work on us is not just for ourselves, either. It is designed to permeate humanity on a corporate level. Because we are able to remember how we felt and what we needed when at the time, we are then able to effectively reach out to others and comfort them. 

Through suffering we also learn about God's sufficiency, His provision of strength, His character, as well as His comforting presence to help us endure our trials. Reflecting on the divine purpose behind our hardship can also help us to respond appropriately to them, fix our attention on the Lord, and cause us to be in a position where we become attentive to what He wants us to learn.

We are reminded by the LORD in Isaiah 41:10 that we are to, "Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of righteousness and justice." 

I have learned many times over from personal experience that God's strength is perfected in my weakness. Sometimes the LORD keeps us from suffering; other times He sustains us through it. In both instances, He is still faithful, He is still good, He understands us, and He loves us in a greater way than what we can ever comprehend. Jesus is always with us and He will never forsake us in our weakness. 

About the Author: Paul Grimmond is a gifted and well-known Bible teacher, currently serving on the campus of the University of New South Wales. He is the author of Right Side Up, a book about the Christian life, and co-author with Phillip Jensen of The Archer and the Arrow, a book about preaching. Paul lives with his wife, Cathy, and their three children in Sydney’s east.

An interview with Paul Grimmond about Suffering Well can be found here.

This review has also been posted on Amazon and Goodreads.

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