A Grace Disguised by Jerry Sittser
Week 8: Chapter 7 — Allowing Loss to Enlarge the Soul
Read Chapter 7 of A Grace Disguised.
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This is the heart of the book's argument: that loss, when faced rather than avoided, has the power to expand the capacity of the human soul for both suffering and joy.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.Sittser makes the striking claim that the soul can actually grow larger through loss — that suffering, when entered honestly, expands our capacity for empathy, depth, and even joy. Does that claim ring true to you? What is your evidence from your own life or the lives of people you know?
2.He distinguishes between two responses to loss: one that shrinks the soul (bitterness, withdrawal, self-pity) and one that enlarges it (grief honestly embraced, openness to others, trust in God). What determines which direction a person goes? Is it mostly a matter of choice, character, grace, or something else?
3.Sittser writes that loss can develop in us a deeper capacity for joy — not a lighter or easier joy, but a joy that has been through fire and knows what it cost. How is that different from happiness? Have you ever experienced that deeper, harder-won joy?
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