Suffering Is Never for Nothing by Elisabeth Elliot
Week 1: Chapter 1 — The Gift Nobody Wants
Read Chapter 1 of Suffering Is Never for Nothing. Key Scripture: Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17.
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Elisabeth Elliot opens by refusing to soften suffering into something more palatable — she wants us to look at it honestly before she says a single word of comfort. Let these questions help you do the same.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Elliot begins with the blunt observation that suffering is universal — it comes for everyone, with no real exemptions for the faithful. Does that feel like a relief to you, or does it feel like an unfair starting point? Why?
2.She describes suffering as 'the gift nobody wants.' What does she mean by calling it a gift? At this stage of the book, does that framing strike you as true, offensive, or somewhere in between?
3.Elliot draws a sharp contrast between two possible responses to suffering: it can devastate and destroy, or it can become a gateway to gratitude and joy. What, in her view, determines which direction suffering takes a person?
a.Can you think of two people you know — one whose suffering has seemed to open them up, and one whose suffering has seemed to close them down? What differences do you notice?
b.Where do you honestly feel you are on that spectrum right now?
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