44: How is Suffering an Opportunity to Know God Better? with Alexis Muscarella

Our special guest in this episode Alexis Muscarella covers the topic of suffering and the importance of viewing suffering as an opportunity to know God better. As she has faced a myriad of health issues in her life, including many weeks spent in a hospital, she has found herself in multiple “bad circumstances” where she was faced with grappling through her own understanding of suffering. Alexis says that she has come to learn and discover many different ways to face suffering, many different attitudes, but embracing suffering as an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of God’s character and nature is the only attitude that leads to a stronger relationship with God. Alexis says that pretty much every other possible attitude typically leads to bitterness. Suffering can be negative or positive. It can be an opportunity to fracture our relationship with God in a very bad way or it can be the opportunity to strengthen our faith; the result typically depends on our posture towards God in the face of tough times. Alexis closes the interview by reminding us that our story doesn’t end in suffering, and that even if our suffering leads to death, our story isn’t over. God is bigger than anything we face, and He is writing our story! Connect with Alexis Muscarella: Twitter: @lexis_elise Blog: Alexiselise.blogspot.com Recommended Resources: – Hinds Feet on High Places (by Hannah Hurnard) – The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected Paperback (by Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis)