A Grace Disguised by Jerry Sittser
Week 4: Chapter 3 — The Darkness Closes In
Read Chapter 3 of A Grace Disguised.
Previewing Week 4 of A Grace Disguised
Read 3 of 8 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 14-week guide when you’re ready.
This week Sittser takes us into the deepest interior of his grief — the place where faith, anger, and despair all collide — and he does not flinch from any of it.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.Sittser uses the image of darkness throughout the book, but in this chapter he describes it as something that closes in — surrounding and suffocating. What does that image communicate about the experience of deep grief that the word "sadness" does not capture?
2.He is honest about moments of rage, despair, and even questioning God's goodness. How does he hold those emotions alongside his faith? Does he seem to think that anger at God is acceptable? What is your own instinct about that?
3.Sittser describes grief as having a physical dimension — exhaustion, disorientation, an inability to think clearly. Why do you think we often underestimate the bodily nature of grief? How does recognizing its physicality change how we care for ourselves and others?