Choosing Hope When God Feels Cruel | Christian Mysticism with Jon Adams

We live in a world that includes a lot of pointless, unfair suffering. Does that make God cruel? And if God is cruel, how can we live on in hope and faith? After 14 years with Crohn's disease, and 16 years as a pastor suffering with and burying my friends, I don't have a neat answer. But I do have an honest answer, and a faith that gives me strength to face the reality of the world with hope and joy. In this video: A viewer's comment touched my heart with one of the hardest questions for people of faith: how do you trust God's goodness in a world that looks like a meaningless meat-grinder? This video is my honest, personal answer - not a theological argument, but my personal experience, perspective, and testimony. In this video, we explore: -Why pain and suffering resist every theological "answer" -What chronic illness and grief have taught me about choosing hope -Why anger at God doesn't have to be the end of the story -How Jesus offers a guide through suffering, not an escape from it So no, this isn’t the answer to the problem of evil or the problem of pain. It's my honest account of why I still choose hope, even when life and faith don’t make sense. If you’re deconstructing, grieving, chronically ill, or just tired of easy answers to hard pain, I hope this video at least lets you know that you are not alone. CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Introduction: a heavy one. 0:11 - Cyprus Piper’s comment - are we “need machines”? 1:09 - There is no answer to suffering. 1:49 - My suffering: pastoral grief and Crohn's Disease. 3:55 - Anger with God. 4:59 - My path back to God. 7:14 - Radical acceptance. 9:57 - Jesus: our guide through suffering, not our escape from it. 12:19 - I love you. SOURCES: Robert Emmons on spiritual struggle and suffering The Gospel of John THUMBNAIL: I lost a hundred pounds in about a year. Some of it was on purpose, but a lot of it wasn’t. Crohn’s disease is hard, and left me very weak. And on top of all that - after losing a hundred pounds I still had “love handles” :/ ABOUT THIS CHANNEL: We explore Christian mysticism, spiritual formation, and union with God through biblical teaching and the wisdom of the early Church Fathers. If you're interested in contemplative Christianity, theosis, what it means to become like Christ, and the struggle of everyday faith, consider subscribing. Thanks for watching! #ChristianMysticism #Suffering #Theodicy #ChronicIllness #FaithDeconstruction #TrustingGod #ChristianSpirituality #PastoralCare #Grief #HopeInSuffering #ChristianFaith #DealingWithDoubt #ChooseJoy #Crohns