Serenity in Suffering

Finding Peace and Purpose in the Storms of Life

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Hi, I’m Donna!

Welcome!

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

Where is God in the Silence?
Are You Wearing the Fragrance of Christ?
The Wisdom of the Wilderness
Stunned by God: An Incredulous Encounter
The Tension Between Suffering and Hope

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Archives

serenityinsuffering

When was the last time you chased the healing powe

When was the last time you chased the healing power of beauty?

Ever since I can remember I have found beauty to bring a level of healing to my soul.

Whether that beauty is art, music, or nature, I am transformed within it.

Over the past week I have immersed myself in the beauty of my gardens, capturing these photos of Virginia Blue Bells, Jacob's Ladder, Woodland Anemones, Yellow Star Flowers, Daffodils, Wood Ferns, & a simple Hyacinth.

I captured many more photos but stopped to share this small sampling to encourage you to pursue beauty in your own surroundings.

The stunning beauty of nature reminds us of the good here in the land of the living, that Eden buried in our hearts is still alive despite the suffering and brokenness around us.

Where are you finding beauty today?

#serenityinsuffering #eden #garden #springbeauty #hope #faith #redemption

Have you ever felt disillusionment with God, holdi

Have you ever felt disillusionment with God, holding the story of a life you no longer recognize?

Have you sought for answers only to wonder, “where is God in the silence?”

We all came to Jesus with broken pieces of ourselves we hoped He would heal.

Whether physical healing, illness, addictions, financial woes, relational brokenness, or sundry other wounds, our grief, loss, and hopelessness drove us to Him for wholeness—for new life.

But somewhere along the journey we find this new life strewn with disappointment; our expectations at odds with the God we believed would transform our pain.

Sitting with the shards of broken dreams and fragile hopes of a story I would rather burn than live, I wonder, where is the God who makes everything new?

Less than a week from remembering the crucifixion, I still ponder the turn of events from a welcoming, rejoicing crowd proclaiming Hosanna, to one just days later crying, “Crucify Him!”

Reading the story again, I lingered with a reality which resonated with my own hard story.

Join me on the blog where I explore the tension of disillusionment and trust and how we make sense of the suffering we don't understand in my new post, "Where is God in the Silence?" Link in bio!

#serenityinsuffering #suffering #silence #whereisgod #hope #faith #godslove #grief

Have you ever felt disillusionment with God, holdi

Have you ever felt disillusionment with God, holding the story of a life you no longer recognize?

Have you sought for answers only to wonder, “where is God in the silence?”

We all came to Jesus with broken pieces of ourselves we hoped He would heal.

Whether physical healing, illness, addictions, financial woes, relational brokenness, or sundry other wounds, our grief, loss, and hopelessness drove us to Him for wholeness—for new life.

But somewhere along the journey we find this new life strewn with disappointment; our expectations at odds with the God we believed would transform our pain.

Sitting with the shards of broken dreams and fragile hopes of a story I would rather burn than live, I wonder, where is the God who makes everything new?

Less than a week from remembering the crucifixion, I still ponder the turn of events from a welcoming, rejoicing crowd proclaiming Hosanna, to one just days later crying, “Crucify Him!”

Reading the story again, I lingered with a reality which resonated with my own hard story.

Join me on the blog where I explore the tension of disillusionment and trust and how we make sense of the suffering we don't understand in my new post, "Where is God in the Silence?" Link in bio!

#serenityinsuffering #suffering #silence #whereisgod #hope #faith #godslove #grief

In life's hard places, how do we find the strength

In life's hard places, how do we find the strength to obey the single most repeated command in the bible, the command to rejoice?

It's one thing to return a kind smile even on our hard days, but quite another thing to allow joy to define us in those same hard places.

Coming off of deep reflection on the crucifixion of Christ and His subsequent resurrection, I could not shake the tension between His deep sorrow, and the joy He held within as He despised the shame of the cross but endured it anyway.

As I wrestled with this tension in my own life, of learning to endure the hard places, while resting in the joy promised me in my grief by Christ, the eyes of my heart opened on a new truth.

When the general promises of God become personal guarantees through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can allow joy to define us even there.

"I am the one God will never leave or forsake." Hebrews 13:5

"I am the one with peace that passes all understanding." Philippians 4:7

"I am the clay jar filled with resurrection power." 2 Corinthians 4:7

"I am the child He loves to give good gifts to." Matthew 7:11

"I am clean, forgiven, justified, inseparable from His love." Romans 8

These truths fill our hurting and burdened hearts not only with joy, but with hope.

If your heart is weary with grief and suffering today, claim God's promises personally as your own, receiving joy and hope that no circumstance can quench.

Which promise speaks deeply to you today?

#serenityinsuffering #suffering #trials #grief #hope #joy #faith

When was the last time you walked through the time

When was the last time you walked through the timeline of events the last week of Christ’s earthly ministry as a participant?⁣
⁣
Triumphantly entering Jerusalem ahead of the Jewish Passover, on what we term “Palm Sunday”, the people hail Jesus as “king”. ⁣
⁣
Yet no one, not even Jesus’ disciples, despite Jesus plainly telling them, understood He entered as the sacrificial Passover Lamb.⁣
⁣
Set aside some time to immerse yourself in the story through reading the account in your Bible, and checking out the resources in my Substack post, "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?"⁣
Deeply connect with Christ in His last hours on earth and find Hope in your own hard places this Holy Week. Link in bio!

When was the last time you walked through the time

When was the last time you walked through the timeline of events the last week of Christ’s earthly ministry as a participant?⁣
⁣
Triumphantly entering Jerusalem ahead of the Jewish Passover, on what we term “Palm Sunday”, the people hail Jesus as “king”. ⁣
⁣
Yet no one, not even Jesus’ disciples, despite Jesus plainly telling them, understood He entered as the sacrificial Passover Lamb.⁣
⁣
Set aside some time to immerse yourself in the story through reading the account in your Bible, and checking out the resources in my Substack post, "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?"⁣
Deeply connect with Christ in His last hours on earth and find Hope in your own hard places this Holy Week. Link in bio!

If you are in a hard season right now, and wanted

If you are in a hard season right now, and wanted to be completely honest, and I asked you, "How are you?" What would you say?

If you are like me, you might say, "I'm well", or "I'm so blessed!"

So, which one would be true? Both.

Right now, I'm in a hard season, navigating emptiness, uncertainty, and unfulfilled desires, yet seeing God in new ways.

Why do we pretend all is well, when inside, our heart is breaking, and we can barely face the day?

Because as Christians, to answer with brutal honesty that all is not well, and our season is harder than we can handle right now would seem to discount all of God's goodness.

But Dear One, the real truth is we always live with both blessings and brokenness.

Trials, victories, sorrow and joy are all mixed up together.

Admitting our struggles doesn't mean we are ungrateful for the blessings God gives. We can thank Him for our wayward child, while at the same time asking Him for strength to endure their silence.

We can thank God for our spouse, friend, or neighbor, while asking Him for grace to endure their unkind treatment or neglect.

God never asks us to be thankful FOR the suffering or loss, He invites us to be thankful IN it, because He is with us, the God of all comfort.

We may wonder at the many blessings that God gives, while at the same time holding aching emptiness for desires remaining unfulfilled.

God understands both.

When we embrace the paradox, we tell God we trust in His unfailing love. We choose to recognize His love in both the hard and happy parts of our lives.

Jesus understands the tension between joy and sorrow, and He wants you to bring it all to Him with brutal honesty.

What one thing can you bring to Him today?

#serenityinsuffering #suffering #sorrow #hardship #joy #hope #faith #godslove

Do you have a signature scent? ⁣ ⁣ A perfume (or c

Do you have a signature scent? ⁣
⁣
A perfume (or cologne) you never leave home without? ⁣
⁣
As a chemically sensitive person, I am inundated with the toxicity of fake scents all the time.⁣
⁣
I often wonder at the motive behind wearing a scent so ostentatious that it announces your arrival long before your body appears and lingers abusively after you leave. ⁣
⁣
Perhaps the haughty advertising claims of a better image, attraction, and connection contribute to this. ⁣
⁣
But what if the fragrance we chose to wear communicated a meaningful truth? ⁣
⁣
Join me on the blog as I explore how wearing the fragrance of Christ changes your life and the world around you, in my new post, "Are You Wearing the Fragrance of Christ?" Link in bio!

Do you have a signature scent? ⁣ ⁣ A perfume (or c

Do you have a signature scent? ⁣
⁣
A perfume (or cologne) you never leave home without? ⁣
⁣
As a chemically sensitive person, I am inundated with the toxicity of fake scents all the time.⁣
⁣
I often wonder at the motive behind wearing a scent so ostentatious that it announces your arrival long before your body appears and lingers abusively after you leave. ⁣
⁣
Perhaps the haughty advertising claims of a better image, attraction, and connection contribute to this. ⁣
⁣
But what if the fragrance we chose to wear communicated a meaningful truth? ⁣
⁣
Join me on the blog as I explore how wearing the fragrance of Christ changes your life and the world around you, in my new post, "Are You Wearing the Fragrance of Christ?" Link in bio!

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