In this session we cover chapter 1 of Crushing by TD Jakes.  There is a moment we pause and review and reflect on our life, and consider the nature of suffering in our lives. After all, crushing blows happen to all of us, no matter the color of our skin, level of our education, or the amount of money in our bank account. No one is exempt from pain in this life, nor should we expect to be inoculated against the ongoing consequences that crushing causes in our soul. Everyone we know who matures in their faith and perseveres successfully in their life comes to terms with being crushed – and moving forward again.

In chapter 1, TD jumps opens with a difficult time in his life, the passing of his mother and the announcement of his daughter being pregnant at 14. It was a very challenging season, and I am sure we have all had a few similar seasons in our lives.  He points out a very important mind set, “There was never a question of abandoning my faith in God; it was simply a matter of trying to reorient myself to this new configuration of life circumstances. He felt crushed but desperately prayed that it was not the end of him.

Can you share a time when you received news that left you reeling? How did you handle the situation? How would you handle similar life-changing news differently today?

When our life suddenly falls apart, we may feel like we are free-falling into space, suddenly untethered by the constants we used to know in our life that are suddenly no longer in place. Our health, our life, our relationships, our finances, our career are all revealed to be much more fragile than we ever realized. No longer do we have the security, peace, and stability we one took for granted.

When everything falls apart suddenly in our life, we may also feel confused by the way something so devastating can occur in the midst of a season that has otherwise been productive and successful. It may even be tempting to allow the painful pivot points to outweigh our achievements along with our ascension in other areas of our life. But life does not stop even though we feel like it has. Instead, we have to decide how we will handle the bittersweet blend of terror and triumph.

How have you managed to maintain perspective during past moments of crisis? Do you tend to be calm and absorb the new reality or explode with emotions?

When our life seems to fall apart, we inevitably, begin to seek an understanding of our situation. its cause, its concentration; exposure, and its consequences. Often during this attempt to process pain, we discover the strength and durability of our personal faith. It seems easy to trust God when our family is healthy, career and ministry are flourishing and the bills are paid. But when everything falls apart, the confidence we once had in God’s goodness is suddenly as fragile as our broken heart.

Questions begin to replace certainty, and doubt becomes and insistent moth eating away at the fabric of your faith. We wonder how our lives can be such a strange mixture of blessing and bereavement, of discovery and disintegration, of gain and grief. No one has all the answers, but we can confident that asking our questions and investigating our life’s trajectory is an essential part of personal and spiritual growth. A biblical illustration for was was provided in Matthew 13:24-30.

He told another story. “God’s kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too.
“The farmhands came to the farmer and said, ‘Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn’t it? Where did these thistles come from?’
“He answered, ‘Some enemy did this.’
“The farmhands asked, ‘Should we weed out the thistles?’
“He said, ‘No, if you weed the thistles, you’ll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I’ll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.’” – Matthew 13:24-30 MSG

In our own lives we plant seeds of faith to produce a fruitful harvest only to discover weeds of doubt, disappointment, and despair threatening our productivity. We know, however, that God is all powerful, all knowing, and all loving so we struggle to reconcile our grasp of His character with the harsh reality of weeds in our life’s garden.

What events in your life have caused you to wrestle with doubts about your relationship with God and your understanding of His character?

How has the “weeds and seeds” in the parable from Jesus played out in your life?

How do you believe God views the coexistence of His peace in the midst of our pain? How have you typically answered the question of why we suffer so much loss even as we serve a loving, generous God? Why would the good Father allow His children to suffer so much pain, injustice, and heartache?

In the midst of our grappling, we want to believe the promise expressed in the Bible: “And we know that in all things God words for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28)

The tricky part is that the verse says ALL THINGS. Not just the good things we choose, but all things

All includes our life’s disappointment, devastation, and destruction, and the events, situations and conversations that forever change the shape of our soul. The question becomes, how is it that God words of our good even in the midst of those times of crushing?

Being completely honest, do you really believe that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him”? What are some of the things that you struggle to reconcile with God’s purpose and plane for your life?

As we go continue this week in our progress through Crushing, chapter 2, take notes, journal and mediate on how the weeds of life have shown up, how the seasons have come and gone over the years. Reflect back on the years the locusts of ravaged your life, as well as the many prosperous seasons of harvest to this point.

[ NEXT SESSION: Chapter 2 ]

Jakes, T D. Crushing. FaithWords, 2019.