Session 5: Meeting God in Pain and Suffering

The Practicing the Way Course

Teaching Summary


  • The practices are not a religious formula to habit-stack our way into spiritual formation.
  • When we slow down and come to quiet before God, often the first thing that comes up is emotional pain, as our soul begins to process and discharge all the pain and suffering of our life.
  • There are three primary ways people deal with pain:
  • Deny
  • Detach
  • Drug
  • The Jesus way is to meet God in our pain.
  • Left unhealed, emotional pain can sabotage our transformation. But if we open it to God, it can become the secret to our transformation.

Spiritual bypassing

A tendency to use spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep or avoid facing unresolved emotional issues, psychological wounds, and unfinished developmental tasks*.

Emotional maturity

You’re aware of your feelings, but you’re not run by your feelings.

Spiritual maturity

The ability and willingness to know and do the will of God.