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SUFFERING AND PLANNING
Theology of Suffering & Church Disaster Pre-Planning
Hannah Tarrell
Liberty University
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Abstract
Trauma from disasters or any life changing events carry over into
suffering for those around and those these events were taken place. Having
a plan in place to minimize impact of what you can predict is an important
measure that the church and local professionals can organize together. The
church can discover a new role in disasters by preparing, equipping and
establishing care for when a disaster is coming. Being a resource for an
emotional and spiritual responders would have a concrete understanding of
suffering, to be able to help others. Suffering is not a topic taken lightly and
not a topic that is simple. Suffering is complex in dynamic base on people,
locations and then understanding the possibility of counter interference.
Understanding what someone is going through when in a time of suffering is
important. Specific planning, preparing and the willingness to engage in
knowledge with experts in the counseling field, can create an effective
impact relief for those suffering due to being disasters victims. The way Jesus
interacts not only with the pastoral staff, but the first responder staff is one
that will change the trajectory of Christ movement if executed well.
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Theology of Suffering
Understanding the suffering in which we are in the midst or will
encounter is my personal theology that all suffering is an opportunity for
Christ to be glorified. The way in which we see suffering is the perspective of
hope that we can give ourselves, but also those around us daily. “Sufferings,
tribulations and illness are hard to understand, and especially to bear, and
they carry deep hidden meanings. By deciphering them man can benefit
both for his immediate behavior towards them, but also for their eternal use”
(Teşu, 2018, pg 1).
Questions in Suffering
“The human pains and sufferings are alert signals, and they pose many
questions and dilemmas in the tried mind and soul: why was chosen
precisely him and which are the facts or events that did it?; why did they
come upon him right at that moment when he thinks it is too early anyway,
regardless they appeared at a young or advanced age?; which are the means
to remove them or what should his conduct be in front of pain, disease and
suffering?” (Teşu, 2018, pg 1). When the heart and mind are on two different
understandings, we as Christians must find Truth in The Word. Christ gives us
tools and resources during the suffering. The Church pre-planning later in
this paper is a clear picture of the resources Christ can provide when a
disaster or trauma is occurring. Not only will these resources help with
tangible items, but it will also help with hope, spiritual understanding and
Christ centered information given to overcome. On top of that, individuals
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will not be alone, because there is a community being created of those
suffering will be together. Understanding why something may be happening
to yourself or someone near to you is the initial question we may find
ourselves or others asking but understanding that there may never be an
actual answer to this question. “In the face of personal and global suffering,
is it possible to live with hope rather than despair?” (Thompson, 2023).
Before more questions take over, defining what suffering is and the way God
describes suffering, is where to focus. The Oxford Dictionary describes
suffering as, “the state of undergoing, pain, distress or hardships.” (Oxford
University Press, 2022). Where the Bible refers to suffering as, something in
our lives due to that we live in a fallen world. Suffering in our lives can be
caused by sinful choices or due to the world being a broken world. Both
refences to suffering are from the scriptures Romans 5:12-14, “You know the
story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we’re in—first sin, then death,
and no one exempt from either sin or death. That sin disturbed relations with
God in everything and everyone, but the extent of the disturbance was not
clear until God spelled it out in detail to Moses. So death, this huge abyss
separating us from God, dominated the landscape from Adam to Moses. Even
those who didn’t sin precisely as Adam did by disobeying a specific
command of God still had to experience this termination of life, this
separation from God. But Adam, who got us into this, also points ahead to
the One who will get us out of it” (Romans:5:12-14, The Message Version).
This reference is a true measure of not all suffering we are exposed to or
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have a part in, is due to something we specifically chose. The decision could
come from a lineage of history to something that has been cursed or broken
for years due to living in a broken world. Understanding that suffering is the
opportunity to see Christ work and draw closer to Him and only Him. This
mindset is what provides hope, strength and perseverance during times
when everything seems too unclear to see.
Acceptance of Suffering
Reading an article about terminally ill patients who get that diagnosis,
what would you do? How do you accept death itself is what is next for your
life? Or how much life is left? “Knowing one's poor prognosis and confronting
one's impending death without full acceptance and adequate professional
psycho-spiritual support may harm more than benefit terminally ill cancer
patients' psychological state, existential well-being, and QOL. These findings
highlight the importance of tailoring psycho-spiritual support to cancer
patients' psychological and existential needs when prognostic information is
disclosed” (Tang et al., 2015, pg 1). This speaks to any trauma news or
situation someone may enter. As soon as someone enters a traumatic
situation their brain immediately is not function at the normal baseline. Their
thoughts are altered to only think the worst, or altered by shock and the
patient is unable to process the truth of what is going on around themselves.
My personal theory of suffering also is the understanding and acceptance of
the suffering. The acceptance is the part of suffering that is the hardest for
individuals to get to when exposed to trauma. So much of what happens to
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us as humans we cannot control and the best way to heal is work through
the emotions, the reality, the anger, or anything else that comes with the
specific traumatic experience, to a place of acceptance. That acceptance
may look different given the situation. Some may be more of the thought,
the fact is this happened to me, but it does not define who I am. The
thought, this is happening, I am dying, but I can choose to live every day I
have left for the Lord with joy. These are two different ways that individuals
may accept what is happening but does not mean that they are at a place of
being miserable. This is the point of the suffering in which we let God use
this for His good and His glory. This is the point in which He can begin to use
this trauma to minister to others.
Positivity in Suffering
“The role of religion in coping with stress has been documented best in
persons suffering from health problems. Many studies find that prayer and
other personal religious practices are common responses to medical illness
and disability. For example, more than seventy studies have now examined
the role that religion plays in coping with health problems such as arthritis,
diabetes, kidney transplant, hemodialysis, cancer, surviving with cancer,
coronary artery disease and bypass surgery, heart transplant, lung
transplant, HIV/AIDS, surviving with HIV/AIDS, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell
disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, chronic pain and severe illness in
adolescents. Regardless of their age, people use religion to cope when they
become stressed over their health or the health of a loved one” (Koenig,
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2006, pg 29-30). Having faith statistically prevents severe depression and
even with patients that are hospitalized gives more hope with the patients.
Those who do experience depression with trauma find themselves not in the
low for long periods of time compared to those who do not have faith.
Further studies by Koenig show the positive impact that religion and faith
have on those who are suffering with depression, but it is also part of dealing
with grief. Patients in Koenig studies with severe mental health also showed
improvement with more efficient time when patient had faith (Koenig, 2006).
This positivity to faith and community building leads into further discussion
for later when addressing pre-planning for the church when a disaster is
approaching.
There is one personal theory in which I have always leaned on in times
of suffering. I have been chosen to bare this suffering because with Christ He
knows I will shine through this suffering. While I do. Not understand this
suffering. I know that I am capable with Christ by my side. Christ will lead
me, help me through feelings and misunderstandings as each step towards
healing is a place in which Christ can use what has been done. This mindset
has set me free during tough situations, my biggest being a divorce. While I
chose to leave and with my decision came consequences for myself but also,
decisions that were made from myself and the other party chose certain
outcomes for our beautiful children. Unfortunately, I watched them suffer
through a lot with them not knowing or understanding any of the suffering
they were going through. This is that faith aspect that comes into play.
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Taking the proper steps in faith to draw close to him, pray over and with your
children, but then use professional resources of therapy is what made each
of us get through the season of suffering. And just that, it’s a season. The
mindset of a season is the way to present suffering, so that knowing there is
an end is a glimpse of hope in the midst of chaos.
Origin of Suffering
The origin of suffering roots back to even the very beginning humans
being created with Adam and Eve. Unfortunately, the ground that we walk on
is cursed due to the sin of Adam and Eve in the garden. “He told the Man:
"Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree That I commanded
you not to eat from, 'Don't eat from this tree,' The very ground is cursed
because of you; getting food from the ground Will be as painful as having
babies is for your wife; you'll be working in pain all your life long. The ground
will sprout thorns and weeds, you'll get your food the hard way, Planting and
tilling and harvesting, sweating in the fields from dawn to dusk, Until you
return to that ground yourself, dead and buried; you started out as dirt, you'll
end up dirt." The Man, known as Adam, named his wife Eve because she was
the mother of all the living. God made leather clothing for Adam and his wife
and dressed them. God said, "The Man has become like one of us, capable of
knowing everything, ranging from good to evil. What if he now should reach
out and take fruit from the Tree-of-Life and eat, and live forever? Never - this
cannot happen!" So God expelled them from the Garden of Eden and sent
them to work the ground, the same dirt out of which they'd been made. He
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threw them out of the garden and stationed angel-cherubim and a revolving
sword of fire east of it, guarding the path to the Tree-of-Life (Gensis 3:17-24,
The Message Version). The ground was cursed by this disobedience of Adam
and Eve. The verse speaks of how they must work hard all their lives now
and the ground will produce thorns and thistles which will making farming
more difficult. They also suffer a spiritual death at understanding that their
offspring and all the generations to come will not get to face God themselves
but must go through Jesus himself. Continuing from their disobedience they
will now understand and suffer in pain, sickness and will experience physical
death. God now must guard to the tree of life due to the sinful nature of the
actions Adam and Even chose. The clothes that were made for Adam and Eve
from the skin of animals is Christ reminder that salvation can only come from
God, not their own doing.
Due to our ancestors of Adam and Eve, the ground we walk on is
cursed. There are situations that happen to us due to the fall of their choices
and their doing. This is when it is not directly our fault, but the repercussions
of our ancestors affect the suffering of ours. The origin of suffering starts
right at the beginning of the Bible and this trend continues throughout. Some
sinful decisions are because of our personal actions, and some are due to
generational curses, such as what is explained above.
Glory to God
Romans 8:28-29 is a scripture that shows us that our Christlikeness is
what sets us apart in suffering. God’s goodness in purpose and what we
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make it to be Christlike is what sets us as Christians apart. Romans explains
this is the ultimate goal we have in our lives is to be Christlike, but what does
that mean practically when we are suffering? How can we suppress our
feelings or push through things when we do not want to? Well, He knows we
will not be perfect. He knows that we will fail, but it is the thought process
and the striving that sets us apart. In Peter 4:12-13 it states, “Friends, when
life gets difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job.
Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced.
This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner” (Peter
4:12-13, The Message Version). We as Christians are called to bear one
another’s burdens, which means when a brother or sister in Christ is
suffering we may walk in that suffering with them. They are not alone. As a
Christian in the suffering this is when we know we are not alone, and that is
something that helps anyone walk in suffering. Knowing you are not alone is
any difficult situation lightens the load, and this does just that. This brings
glory to the Lord when we do this as well. Christ has called us to do this with
one another and doing this is being Christlike. Christ has suffered by His son
coming earth, being crucified and then rose again. This is a clear
understanding that the suffering we are going through Christ has
experienced this. He has felt every burden, pain and suffering that each of us
go through in our lifetime. God gets all the glory when His people come
together during a suffering, utilize resources available professionally or of the
church and come out on the other side. Christ did not design us as humans
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to do life alone and this includes during the hard times. Christ is glorified
when we step into helping one another through the suffering.
Church Disaster Pre-Planning
“The services provided by faith communities are material, psychological, and
spiritual in nature and especially important during long-term recovery after
other EMS agencies have left the scene. The faith community’s role goes way
beyond providing for the immediate physical needs of disaster victims.
Unfortunately, faith leaders may not have the appropriate training to assess
the psychological and spiritual consequences of severe traumatic stress and
often do not have a robust network of contacts that enable them to make
appropriate referrals when complex situations arise. I hope this book will help
to inform, support, and guide faith communities to effectively integrate their
unique contributions into the existing disaster planning and response
structures. If faith communities are prepared and equipped to meet not only
the material needs of trauma victims but also their spiritual and emotional
needs, this will strengthen the readiness and resiliency of our communities in
the face of disasters” (Koenig, 2006, pg 144). The services needed to be
successful in the suffering of any disaster cannot be done just by the church.
This must be equipped with professionals as well. This is where the church
needs to collaborate with EMS or some type of medical presence and then
some type of mental health services. This is a great place for a food pantry
and necessity donations to be dropped off as well. Each of these aspects are
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important in providing needs of a disaster coming or a disaster that is
happening.
Congregation Consult Planning
As a staff who is preparing for a disaster to be a point of access for the
community it is important that all volunteers in the congregation be available
to learn point of access. I created a flow chart for the church to understand
what is important in order for each station and where it beings, so that there
is structure in chaos. It is important to invite outside resources and
collaborate to give the best possible care for each person in need. This
should be presented to the team in a disaster pre-planning congregation
meeting so that everyone can meet together and get information to one
another.
Food & Rest Area
(Church Team)
As people come in the
first few days food will be
given in lunch sacks to
help with efficiency. Each
sleeping area will already
have a blanket and pillow
available at the sleeping
station.
Clothing & Toiletries
Needs
(Church Team)
Each family will be
given a bag of
toiletries and then 1
clean dry outfit.
Registration Team
(Church Team)
Name, DOB, &
Contact Information
EMS Station
Each person must
receive medical
clearance using a wrist
band.
Blue – cleared
Red – further medical
care needed
Mental Health Counselors
& Social Service
Resources will be
available during down
time once individuals are
situated into the facility.
Red Wrist Band Station
There will be a separate
area for individuals to be
seen if further medical
care is needed.
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All individuals must
check out of the
facility if they
choose to leave at
any time.
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Important Elements
Explaining the above flow chart to the congregation and understanding
there is a lot of preparation work to do before the disaster or individuals even
come into the facility. The first contact to the community for assistance
would be EMS teams or Urgent Cares around the community that could come
set up at the facility. Mental Health professionals and local social workers to
be able to help provide counseling and resources for after this disaster is
finished, with resources to go and be able to get back on their feet.
Resources with food pantries and donations for clothing. Getting in contact
with thrift stores or other community-based clothing distribution centers to
donate clothing. Toiletries can also be a great area for individuals to donate
to. The church can also donate to this cause as their way of providing for a
disaster as well. There can be proper shower times done by color coating
with wristband when coming into the facility based on numbers. This also
can be done with food distribution so that individuals are easily put into
groups which will help rotate who goes first at times and for the volunteers
not be overwhelmed. Of course, the church can also provide entertainment
with games, singing, and other things within the facility based on things
individuals may need at times. This is the time to become the hands and feet
of Jesus on Earth.
One of the most important aspects of how to know what to change or
what is done well is done by data collection which can be done as individuals
checking out of the facility when leaving. This helps the facility know how
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people were helped and where they went after they were at this facility. If
they come back, we also can document this as well. This helps the facility
know what worked well and what did not. It gives information to be able to
follow up once the church is ready to do that or to invite them to anything
specific with disaster relief follow up or future disaster prevention.
Creating teams within the church rather it be administration teams to
register people, to set up the facility with the correct signage and make it
clear to those coming into the facility. Remember that as caregivers we are
also going through a disaster possibly, so do not ignore your own needs
during this time and that these services can be available to you and your
family as well. Be sure that church volunteers have shifts and organization in
how many people need to be at minimum to each station. Pastorals staff can
go around to individuals and care for them as needed, but I also want to add
it is important for pastoral staff take shifts in providing care, because
spiritual work is hard and is exhausting. This is the best way for others to
receive the best care and for disaster relief to be sustainable is if there are
proper boundaries being lead from pastoral staff.
Resiliency
The best definition found to explain the true meaning of resilience is
“the ability to bounce back from setbacks, adapt to challenges, and maintain
a positive mindset in the face of adversity. It involves emotional strength,
flexibility and the capacity to persevere through difficult situations”
(dictionary.com). Holding onto the scriptures that support resilience are a
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clear indication when I am weak, He is strong. Having scriptures at the
fingertips of the pastoral staff to support themselves in other during a
disaster. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your
God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous
right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, ESV). “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast
under trial, for when he has stood to the test he will receive the crown of life,
which God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12, ESV). “But those
who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like
eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint”
(Isaiah 40:31, ESV). “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean no on your
own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5-6). These are all scriptures to put at the
foundation of hard times with pastoring those who feel hopeless and when as
those who are trying their best to provide resources of hope, it is not clear for
us to see either. This is where we must let Christ do the work and us provide
the resources, with mental health professionals, social service professionals
and our piece of introducing who Christ is to us. Even those who come into
the facility who do not want to know Jesus or who refuse to know Jesus, we
still treat them with kindness, offer services, and let them feel just as
welcome as any believer that walks through the door. It is time for each of us
to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Conclusion
The theology of suffering and understanding that this will happen to
each of us at some point in life, some more than others. Turning the suffering
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to understanding that the origin of suffering is from the beginning with Adam
and Eve, as well as a curse we cannot avoid. Learning that God must receive
the glory in us suffering the suffering and healing from the suffering. Looking
at the positive outlook of what God can do when it seems impossible and
seeing Him lead us through those trying times is the answer to healing in the
suffering. Christ is able to shine in healing and our success due to His glory
and His grace provided. Churches can provide more than enough for those in
a disaster, but it will take planning, dedication and more resources than just
the church can provide. Community is what Jesus displays and this is a way
for the community can come together using the church facility and being led
by the church. Pastoral staff can provide resources of hope and showing that
a church and organize such a successful disaster resource is the key in
seeing that Jesus is capable of the most difficult things. Jesus is the ultimate
answer in all we do, every day. On the easy days and the hard days, Jesus is
the one leading us as Crisis Responders. Let’s let Him use us as we go out
equipped to provide for others.
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