Authenticity

The past few weeks, the word suffering has become a huge part of my vocabulary.  Conversations with people struggling with cancer, job loss, talks of African children and so much more can be summed up with that one word: suffering.

Two weeks ago a friend of mine gave me tickets to the Rob Bell speaking tour called, Drops Like Stars.  In this tour, and in his book by the same title, Bell speaks of suffering being the one thing that can bond one heart together with another soul faster than anything else.  Suffering is what can bring two people from seemingly different ends of the ethnic, socioeconomic, political, and even physical spectrum faster than anything… just think of two women struggling with Breast Cancer.  Instantly, there is the empathetic, I know what you are going through.  Stick with it, Sister.

Suffering.

Pleasant, comfortable, and uninterrupted lives may hinder authenticity, but pain can create a hunger for authenticity.  — Small Groups.com

Here’s a wonderful little article on how suffering leads to authenticity, openness, intimacy amongst small groups, friends, or even complete strangers.

I plan on writing more and more about this concept of suffering in the coming months, and have even began praying about leading a seminar on how suffering leads to authenticity.  Please check back for future posts about this.