Biblical Counseling

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Creativity and Suffering


In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love; they had five hundred years of democracy and peace and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock.
Orson Welles

What is it about adversity that causes mankind to reach the heights of greatness? As Welles so humorously pointed out above, some of the most stunning pieces of art, some of the most famous stories and songs, some of the most incredible sculptures and photographs and poetry were created in response to times of great pain and struggle and heartache.

What is it about suffering that inspires creativity? Is it our inherent need to be known? Are we desperate to have a community with whom we can share our troubles, but feel we must first create a community by expressing our suffering? Is it a cry out to know that we are not alone in our suffering? Is it just a need to get it out before our own hearts explode from the pressure? Why do people shine the brightest in moments of deepest darkness?

This creativity in adversity is part of our nature; it is a part of the image of God imprinted on the soul of every person. God’s greatest work in Scripture occurred in the midst of some of the darkest moments in human history. Creation occurred in literally the darkest moment. When the Creator made time, He began his work with nothing. The word used to describe the work God did when he fashioned Eve from the side of Adam is the same word used later in the Old Testament to describe the artistic handiwork of the craftsmen commissioned to build the Temple. God is an artist. And He used the darkest moment in human history to serve the greatest purpose in divine sovereignty.

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our LORD Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our LORD Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5)

Did you catch that? At the end of suffering, there is hope. There is hope in spite of suffering because of the work of Christ on the cross. The most incredible creativity in adversity is born in the minds of those who, in the midst of suffering in this fallen, sinful and broken world, continue to long for a better country (Hebrews 11:6). Those who suffer without hope see no point to suffering, and their work reflects their hopelessness.

Some of the most beautiful passages of Scripture were written in the depths of pain and sorrow. And the beauty in them comes in the fact that, in spite of the desperate expression of pain, there is always an equally desperate acknowledgment of the love and sovereignty of a God who loves us deeply and knows our pain and is there with us in the midst of it.

Creativity in the face of adversity is the human soul testifying to the fact that there must be something more to this life! When life is peaceful and prosperous, our longing for a better country subsides and we become, in the words of CS Lewis, “far too easily pleased” with the pleasures of this world. But when we are faced with adversity beyond our control, we are also reminded that we are ultimately not in control of our own lives. There is something greater than us, there is a place greater than this one, and we long for it.

How do you respond to adversity? Does is cripple you, draining you of your faith and balance, causing you to shake a fist at God or the Universe or whatever other being you worship? Or does it increase your longing for a better country, forcing you to join all of creation in its groans for redemption? Does it put you in a paralyzed state or does it spur you to move to action in a desperate search for truth and understanding in a seemingly pointless situation? Do you think, “Why me?” or “What can I learn from this?”

When you face suffering, do you crash and burn or soar and create? Is your inspiration found somewhere within the transient and fallen creation, which is sure to fail and disappoint us, or have you found the Creator, the life source that “does not disappoint”?

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Single Sexuality?


In today’s culture, sexuality is synonymous with sexual activity. The world teaches that we are sexual beings and should therefore act on any sexual desire we have. Scripture teaches that there is a difference between sexuality and sexual activity.

So if, as Christian singles, we choose to obey Christ and abstain from sexual activity, how do we express our God-given sexuality in God-glorifying ways? Some answers to that question can be found in this article by Ellen Dykas, the Women’s Ministry Coordinator for Harvest USA.

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Guilty Christian Complex


There is a distinct characteristic often present in the lives of women who genuinely seek to perform well for their Savior– guilt. Women are created to help and to serve, to perform well for those who love us and who we love. When we feel we aren’t meeting the impossibly high standards we impose on ourselves, we walk around with our heads lowered in self-condemning guilt.

There is a distinct difference between godly, Spirit-driven conviction for unconfessed sin and the condemning shame of guilt imposed by the enemy. When we are down or feel separated from God because there is unconfessed sin our lives, there is but one cause (a choice to abandon God’s way and go our own) and one solution (repentance). Many women are plagued for years by sin they have confessed. I have heard many women say, “I know God forgives me, but I could never forgive myself.” Within this very statement we see pride– is it really possible that we believe the God of the universe has a lower standard for the forgiveness of sin than we do?

In his post, “Are Christians Meant to Feel Guilty all the Time?”, Pastor and author Kevin DeYoung addresses the question of Christians and guilt and offers ideas for why Christians often carry a guilt complex and what can be done to break free of such a stronghold.

If you struggle with guilt concerning past sin and seek the freedom that only the Gospel provides, I strongly encourage you to read this post.

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Why We Believe Children Who Die Go To Heaven


This morning, we did not have the “typical” Mother’s Day sermon. Our pastor is in the middle of a series on Heaven, and he kept to the theme of the series and preached to a group usually ignored on Mother’s Day. He addressed those who have lost their mothers, and he addressed those mothers who have lost children.

The sermon touched on an issue concerning heaven that is painfully near to many women in our congregation: what happens to to infants and children who die? We were comforted by the words of Scripture concerning this question, and I wanted to share with you all a very brief article that addresses the passages discussed this morning. This is a good, simple article that will hopefully be a good resource for you to be able to share with families who may be experiencing the painful loss of a child through miscarriage or early death.

To read this article by Dr. Al Mohler and Dr. Danny Akin, please go here.

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“Superwoman Syndrome” in the world


In my last post, I wrote about my own tendency to bow down toward my idols of self-sufficiency and mini-Messiahship. This week MSNBC.com posted an article about the impact of the “superwoman syndrome” on today’s women.

As women, we are beginning to recognize that abandoning family to chase after the American feminist ideal leaves us with an unfulfilled God-given desire. However, in this arena we are doing the same thing we do in other parts of our lives– we want it all. We want to fulfill our God-given desire for family life and motherhood AND have the full time job and maintain the lifestyle to which we have grown accustomed. Trying to do it our way and God’s way leaves us exhausted. Feeling as though everyone else expects us to do it all leaves us feeling hopeless.

This article highlights the stories of a few women who met their need to do it all through medicinal assistance; none of them had medical reasons to take the medication they took and they admit it was generally for an extra “boost” to get done all they thought they had to do.

This article brings me back to a question I have struggled with myself; when your To-Do list requires you to take medication in order to get it done, is your To-Do list God-imposed or self-imposed? I’m not talking about medication required to cope with trauma or those who have chemical imbalances that require medicine while learning coping skills. I’m talking about taking medication to give you the extra “boost” needed to get done what you want to, not just what’s required.

How do we as women in 21st century America know when we have crossed the line from using the blessing of God’s general revelation found in medicine to help us better serve Him, to abusing it by using it to enable our worship at the alters of busyness and self-sufficiency?