“Everybody hurts, sometimes.”
If you are of a certain generation, those words may evoke a popular song from the 1990s by the American rock band R.E.M. While the band members were not theologians nor counselors, their lyrics ring true. It is ultimately an honest and hopeful song, albeit from a humanistic viewpoint, which may account for its popularity. Life does hurt, sometimes.
Or, in the language of a new book, the journey hurts. It’s not a question of “if,” but “when” it hurts. “When the Journey Hurts” (InterVarsity, 2026) addresses the topic of suffering, a subject common to life and in Christian publishing. But the co-authors — M. Elizabeth Lewis Hall, Kelly M. Kapic, and Jason McMartin — are not just retreading familiar ground on the subject; rather, they pull together multiple threads to bring a fresh approach to a difficult problem that everyone faces.
The authors utilize years of their own research, other psychological studies, theology, and spiritual formation in hopes of providing a better roadmap for those who suffer, while also recognizing that every journey is unique. For those united to Christ by faith, the ultimate destination matters when suffering — not just for eternity, but here and now, even as we wrestle with meaning and through our afflictions.
The book is divided into two complementary parts. Part One, “Navigating the Roadmap of Suffering,” provides a framework and thematic underpinning for understanding the problems that suffering provokes and the opportunities that suffering can also provide.
The authors write in the first chapter that, “suffering challenges our ordinary ways of understanding the world and our place in it—our ‘meaning system,’ a kind of operating manual for life” (pg. 14). As they draw on that reality, the authors do their readers a great service by showing how our suffering is intensified by unexamined values and expectations about life, beliefs about God that may not be theologically accurate, and inadequate or misleading directions about how to navigate our suffering.
While reading Part One, I often found myself nodding in vigorous agreement. The authors not only captured the intensity of the emotional and spiritual affliction that accompany suffering, but also identified the reasons for that experience.
When I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer at age of 36 (and had a recurrence a few years later), I found that many things I thought I knew and believed were upended. Adding to my struggle were people’s oft-well-intentioned attempts at comfort or encouragement that proved to be unhelpful or just plain wrong.
I am a pastor, yet my own suffering revealed that I still had much to learn about suffering; turns out, many people have a malformed theology of suffering that shows up at the worst times. The authors tell us that “deep suffering requires robust theology” (pg. 37). But in order to help individuals in the thick of suffering, that theology must have a practical bent.
This book is not trying to answer theoretical questions or address various theodicies. Those exercises have a place and are necessary, especially for apologetics, but may be of little interest when you find yourself in despair or simply struggling to make it through each day. Thankfully, this book provides a good foundation for approaching suffering from a theological perspective while emphasizing the practical outworking of that robust theology.
That leads to Part Two, “Meaning-Making Practices for the Journey”, which is seven chapters devoted to a spiritual practice. The book brings fresh attention to spiritual disciplines that are not well understood, especially how they can be applied to the Christian life in the context of suffering.
The authors start with “Identifying with Christ’s Suffering” (Chapter 5) and “Lament” (Chapter 6) and end with “Remembering our Mortality” (Chapter 10) and “Weaving Our Story of Suffering into God’s Story” (Chapter 11). In between, there are chapters on surrender, forgiveness, and gratitude. Each chapter provides useful suggestions for practicing these Christian disciplines in the midst of suffering.
I especially appreciate the authors gently encouraging these spiritual practices while also carefully explaining what they do not mean by each practice. For example, in the chapter on surrender, they make clear that they are not encouraging people to simply give up. As they write,
“We may feel like completely giving up during difficult times, but this is not what we mean by surrender. In this chapter we will use the word to mean a definite and positive spiritual activity, modeled on the life of Jesus, consisting in loving, active, inward yielding to God and God’s will in one’s life” (pg. 122).
This quote is representative of the way they handle each of these topics: with clear definition and firm focus on Jesus. When one is suffering, it is not helpful to hear “just do more,” or “if you had more faith, then you would not feel this way.” Thankfully, “When the Journey Hurts” does not take this approach. The authors write as fellow followers of Christ who have been or are on the path of suffering. That perspective matters.
Several strengths of this book stand out and will lead me to draw on it in the future, both as a cancer survivor and as a pastor who frequently enters into the suffering of others.
First, the authors do not approach this subject solely as an academic matter to be studied and quantified; all three of them draw on suffering from their own lives, their families, or their congregants and communities. Their research informs their writing, but they too have had to wrestle with their themes.
And yet, to their credit, this book does not read like a memoir or a simple recitation of their own trials. Occasionally, there were some personal references, but these were always helpful, rather than a distraction. Despite being co-written by three authors, the book reads as a singular voice, providing a level of comfort with the writing.
Another strength of “When the Journey Hurts” is how the authors incorporate quotations from research participants. These quotes provide multiple perspectives and voices to speak within the pages. But the quotes never felt shoehorned into the paragraphs or distracting from the author’s point. Instead, they illustrate the points the authors are seeking to establish in each chapter.
The majority of those quoted are battling cancer, though research participants and the authors also acknowledge and represent other types of suffering. While I could relate to the cancer patients and survivors quoted, I would have liked to have heard more from individuals experiencing other types of suffering. A greater variety of suffering would have strengthened the book, but including mainly cancer patients may simply reflect the research subjects or those willing or able to participate.
Each chapter concludes with questions for reflection or discussion, which help readers think more deeply about and apply the content in each chapter. The book is infused with Scripture throughout, but also provides ample Scripture suggestions for further reading. It also contains a “Leader’s Guide for Group Study” in the Appendix.
The book raises one concern worth noting for PCA readers, though it is relatively minor compared to the overall content of the book. In the discussion guide at the end of Chapter 10, the authors suggest that readers “identify with Christ’s suffering through the use of visual images” (pg. 175) as one way to practice memento mori. Depending on how one understands and applies the Second Commandment, this could be considered a violation of the Westminster Standards. That said, there are no actual images of Jesus in the book, and every reader can decide how much to utilize the practical suggestions at the end of each chapter.
Overall, I recommend this book as a good and helpful addition to some of the best treatments of suffering in the Christian life. “When the Journey Hurts” deftly weaves together psychological research, theology, and practices to lead individuals deeper into hope and trust in Christ. Including the words of their research subjects or others who have spoken in similar settings strengthens the book in a way I could not have anticipated, but greatly appreciated.
Because, everybody hurts, sometimes, pastors, church leaders, and those on a difficult journey that hurts will find much benefit from this book. It is honest and hopeful, while being deeply rooted in the life, death, and life again of Jesus Christ.
Suffering, while unpleasant, is an opportunity to grow more deeply in dependence upon and faith in Jesus. This book helps to show us the way.
Adam Tisdale serves as the pastor of North Hills Church in Meridianville, Alabama.