Right biblical doctrine shouldn’t make us feel angst; rather, when theology causes us distress, we should get curious. How can we go about investigating doctrines that make us uncomfortable?

Walking through suffering can feel as if we’re stumbling through a foggy, endless night, unable to ever find the light again. Here are three lampposts to guide us through.

With the gospel as our backdrop, we need to engage discernment as whole people. God created us with minds, souls, and bodies. When we only engage one of these, our discernment is lacking. It’s weakened because we’re only engaging part of us, rather than our entire selves.

I rarely dealt with or named my emotions—at least not the “negative” ones. They had to be killed, banished, ignored, and stuffed. I learned this from both Christian circles (like the counselor above) and my own fears. I didn’t want others to see my emotions. But what if we don’t need to pound every negative emotion into the dirt? What if there’s goodness in every emotion—even in our negative emotions that we don’t like so much?

Though I still blush at my overflowing emotions, I don’t dislike them as much as I once did. I can see the good in them, and I’m learning what it means to let them flourish while not letting them rule me. Our feelings are a part of God’s “very good” creation and a gift to be both acknowledged and stewarded to his glory.

Have you ever compared your suffering with the suffering of others? My grief isn’t as bad as hers. Yet your suffering is minimized, and true sorrow is neglected rather than tended to.