suffering

Often I find myself sitting across from a student in my office as the conversation moves from gerunds and infinitives, deadlines and revisions, applications and careers, to family difficulties and personal worries. I pray a lot then. If a student’s stress . . . 

The low, dull roar of an industrial fan in concert with the higher-pitched hum of the wet-dry vac in my office drew my heart’s easily preoccupied ear to God’s ever underlying, eloquent silence . . .

“I’ve had worse cuts on my lip and just kept on whistling.” When we got hurt as kids, my dad warmly echoed this refrain often enough that it’s become a family joke. My father, who actually hardly ever whistles . . .

Rejoicing with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15) seems like it should be one of the “easy” commands of the Bible. Certainly, the call to rejoice should be a delightful one. . .