Serenity in Suffering

Finding Peace and Purpose in the Storms of Life

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Mindfulness

multi-colored detailed spiral, freedom from ruminating thoughts

Freedom From Ruminating Thoughts

woman with long brown hair pulled up in pony tail , head down hands on eyes, glasses in other hand in front of yellow laptop, how to respond to stress instead of reacting

How to Respond to Stress Instead of Reacting

open bible, wooden cross draped in purple, crown of thorns laying on a purple tablecloth, praying the biblical stations of the cross

Praying the Biblical Stations of the Cross

dock leading out over calm lake at sunset, discovering the sounds of silence

Discovering the Sounds of Silence

pink candle in wooden cup on wooden table with sprigs of lavender, a mindfulness approach to prayer

A Mindfulness Approach to Prayer

Black and tan charger, with bowl and wooden spoon, nurture humility with alternative fasting tips

Nurture Humility With Alternative Fasting Tips

silhouette of Woman with long curly hair, head bowed in prayer water in the background, repentance through the eyes of mindfulness

Repentance Through the Eyes of Mindfulness

fireplace in background, blue mug of coffee, open book on red and white afghan in forefront, the soothing gifts of winter mindfulness

The Soothing Gifts of Winter Mindfulness

Woman in brown coat, knit scarf and hat, sitting on stone bench against a brick wall looking away, waiting wisely with mindfulness

Waiting Wisely with Mindfulness

the word joy spelled in scrabble tile on white table with pink rose laying nearby the power of joyful moments

The Power of Joyful Moments

close up of pine tree covered in snow, dim light in background the treasures of the snow

The Treasures of the Snow

star shining bright in multi colored sky finding joy in the north star

Finding Joy in the North Star

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Hi, I’m Donna!

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Welcome to Serenity in Suffering; a safe place to find Hope and purpose in the hard places of life, through intimacy with Jesus Christ.

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Recent Posts

  • A Life You No Longer Recognize
  • The Healing Power of Grief
  • Doubts, Darkness, and Unanswered Questions
  • Where is God in the Silence?
  • Are You Wearing the Fragrance of Christ?

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serenityinsuffering

Have you ever come to God in prayer, but were so o Have you ever come to God in prayer, but were so overcome by the burden on your heart all you could do was sit quietly sobbing?

This happened to me so often recently I became discouraged.

How would God be able to answer a prayer I was unable to pray? Day after day I came, and day after day I broke down into uncontrollable sobs.

Yes, God knows our hearts, and He even knows our needs before we ask, but I felt the need to be heard by God. I was desperate to articulate and intercede for a critical need.

I needed words.

Then a friend reminded me, "tears are prayers too."

In fact, when deep in anguish, tears speak more eloquently than words ever could.

Not only that, but Romans 8:26-27 tells us the Holy Spirit intercedes for us in groanings which have no utterance.

Then one morning, as I sat with my wordless tears, God spoke the words of Psalm 56:8 to my heart (paraphrased)

"I keep track of all your sorrows, I have collected all your tears in my bottle, see, I have written them in my book."

Our tears are precious to God; He wastes none of them. 

When you feel so overcome that you have only wordless tears, take heart, God has heard your deepest request, and will remember you.

Share this with a friend who needs this encouragement today.

#serenityinsuffering #suffering #discouragement #prayer #tears #hope #faith
There is a battle I have fought for many months no There is a battle I have fought for many months now. ⁣
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An occasional reprieve deceived me into thinking it was over, only to feel the heavy weight in my chest return. ⁣
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Perhaps you have felt this too. Discouragement, the name of my foe, seems benign enough: just a bit put by, or melancholy. ⁣
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Everyone suffers discouragement from time to time; it’s just a bump in the road on an otherwise routine journey. ⁣
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Be not deceived, this foe is far more insidious.⁣
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When I faced another recent battle with discouragement, God invited me to walk with Him behind enemy lines, what I learned changed my understanding of discouragement forever.⁣
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Check out my new Substack post, "A Walk Behind Enemy Lines" to read my journey. If you struggle with discouragement you can't afford to miss this. Link in bio!
Do you know the God of all comfort?⁣ ⁣ Often when Do you know the God of all comfort?⁣
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Often when we suffer, we want relief from our pain but fail to see a way forward to a place of solace. ⁣
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Our suffering and sorrow are unique. Not only do we encounter various seasons of suffering, but as distinct individuals we face life's hard paths from a variety of perspectives, which contributes to the illusive nature of relief within our suffering.⁣
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Even if you think you know the details of your suffering, and the exact approach for finding solace in that hard place, finding the comfort you need now comes from only one place.⁣
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Join me on the blog for my post, "Find the Comfort You Need Now", where I share not only how to find comfort in suffering, but something even more precious. Link in bio!
I woke up one day and found my life unrecognizable I woke up one day and found my life unrecognizable. ⁣
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So far removed from my original vision, my life story seemed to belong to someone else. ⁣
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Life is unpredictable and the story we hoped would unfold seldom becomes a reality. ⁣
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Our lives can change irrevocably in a moment—one bad decision or careless action alters our course. Or we find our lives forever changed by one major event: the loss of a spouse, bankruptcy, a devastating illness, accident, or the loss of our home. ⁣
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But more often our lives alter in slow, small shifts over time, until one day you’re living a life you no longer recognize.⁣
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While I have experienced major life altering events contributing to my feeling of disorientation with my life, I see a thousand incremental moments shifting my course.⁣
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The reality of our current life state falls more to our own designs and choices, coupled with outside forces beyond our control, like the choices of others and circumstances. ⁣
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These things together with God’s permissive will and active work in our lives conspire to edit the story we wrote for ourselves.⁣
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As I sat before God with a reality I was unable to hold, He spoke a truth to me which altered everything.⁣
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Head over to the blog to read my new post, "A Life You No Longer Recognize" to learn that same truth and find hope for your life season!⁣
Link in bio!
I woke up one day and found my life unrecognizable I woke up one day and found my life unrecognizable. ⁣
⁣
So far removed from my original vision, my life story seemed to belong to someone else. ⁣
⁣
Life is unpredictable and the story we hoped would unfold seldom becomes a reality. ⁣
⁣
Our lives can change irrevocably in a moment—one bad decision or careless action alters our course. Or we find our lives forever changed by one major event: the loss of a spouse, bankruptcy, a devastating illness, accident, or the loss of our home. ⁣
⁣
But more often our lives alter in slow, small shifts over time, until one day you’re living a life you no longer recognize.⁣
⁣
While I have experienced major life altering events contributing to my feeling of disorientation with my life, I see a thousand incremental moments shifting my course.⁣
⁣
The reality of our current life state falls more to our own designs and choices, coupled with outside forces beyond our control, like the choices of others and circumstances. ⁣
⁣
These things together with God’s permissive will and active work in our lives conspire to edit the story we wrote for ourselves.⁣
⁣
As I sat before God with a reality I was unable to hold, He spoke a truth to me which altered everything.⁣
⁣
Head over to the blog to read my new post, "A Life You No Longer Recognize" to learn that same truth and find hope for your life season!⁣
Link in bio!
I made an important discovery in a recent therapy I made an important discovery in a recent therapy session. ⁣
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One of many important discoveries along the way, this revelation was the piece (and peace) I needed at my current crossroads. ⁣
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Relentless at best, resolving and processing past trauma requires continued perspective shifts.⁣
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I now stood at the crossroads of another perspective shift, continue the focus on wounds or shift the focus to the wonder of progress made so far?⁣
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Check out my new Substack post, "How Wonder Transforms Our Wounds" to see the results of my decision, and the important lesson I learned!⁣
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Link in bio!
How would you describe your relationship with grie How would you describe your relationship with grief?⁣
⁣
Though a friend of mine lost her husband to cancer thirteen years ago, she still describes grief as a frequent companion. ⁣
⁣
She says over the years she softened to its presence, though it often comes without warning and never by invitation. After a pause, she added her belief in the healing power of grief. ⁣
⁣
Her perspective resonates with me, and though I feel grief and I are familiar friends, grief’s arrival still brings trepidation, not comfort. ⁣
⁣
No matter how many times you grapple with grief, even coming to terms with its reality—it still feels unfinished. An insatiable chasm of darkness, grief comes seeking more of you when you have nothing left to give.⁣
⁣
Yet, you feel drawn to it. A macabre dance, you embrace grief while simultaneously stiffening your body against it.⁣
⁣
Join me on the blog where I share my very personal journey with grief in two separate and different instances, in my new post "The Healing Power of Grief", link in bio!
How would you describe your relationship with grie How would you describe your relationship with grief?⁣
⁣
Though a friend of mine lost her husband to cancer thirteen years ago, she still describes grief as a frequent companion. ⁣
⁣
She says over the years she softened to its presence, though it often comes without warning and never by invitation. After a pause, she added her belief in the healing power of grief. ⁣
⁣
Her perspective resonates with me, and though I feel grief and I are familiar friends, grief’s arrival still brings trepidation, not comfort. ⁣
⁣
No matter how many times you grapple with grief, even coming to terms with its reality—it still feels unfinished. An insatiable chasm of darkness, grief comes seeking more of you when you have nothing left to give.⁣
⁣
Yet, you feel drawn to it. A macabre dance, you embrace grief while simultaneously stiffening your body against it.⁣
⁣
Join me on the blog where I share my very personal journey with grief in two separate and different instances, in my new post "The Healing Power of Grief", link in bio!
I know why you hide from the truth of your story b I know why you hide from the truth of your story because it's the same reason I hide from mine.

Shame.

Feeling shame isn't just about those unspeakable parts of your story. The promiscuity, deceit, abuse, addictions, things you would never drag into the light of day.

Shame lurks beneath poor choices, failures, impatience with your child, spouse or friends, illness, rejection, and financial hardship.

Shame is the fear gripping you when you feel behind; not smart enough, not successful enough, not spiritually mature enough.

Shame meets you in your suffering, with words of doubt; does God care? Maybe I'm too weak, I'm being punished, or doing something wrong. Perhaps people will tire of hearing my suffering story.

Shame shrouded my life for so long, I began to question the worth of my existence. 

I coped in many ways, the most damaging was to ignore my past. To edit it out of my story. Create a new identity. Because (shame said) if anyone knew, they would not love me.

But hiding the past doesn't negate it ever happened, and shame reminds us of that truth daily.

The more attempts I made at hiding and rewriting my story, the tighter shame's grip on me became.

Until one day God asked for the pen. His tender voice told me He knew every part of my story, and it was beautiful.

At least it would be beautiful in His hands. Right now, it was only a rough draft.

And the best news is that God works exclusively with rough drafts, and He only crafts redemption stories. 

Dear One, here's the truth: you're not broken, behind, or beyond God's love. He is closer to you now, than you realize. And from this place, with your face buried in the dust of your shame, He is writing the most beautiful redemption story ever written about you.

 A story you will tell forever through the very wounds which drove you into hiding.

Won't you trust God with your story? He already knows all about it and loves you with an unfailing love.

#serenityinsuffering #suffering #shame #rejection #hope #faith #redemption
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