Finding Purpose in Suffering with Job and Joseph's Stories for Today
Can I ask you something kind of bold? Have you ever faced a season that felt unfair or just plain heavy, and you caught yourself wondering, What was the point of all this pain? Trust me, you are not alone. I think we all walk through moments that shake us, moments that leave us asking God if there really can be any meaning in the mess. And I want to talk about that today because finding purpose in suffering is something we all wrestle with at some point spiritual self care tips.
In our recent podcast episode, I sat with my friend Tiffany, whose family lost their entire home to a fire only months after building it, and you can read about finding faith after loss by growing spiritually and embracing suffering, including finding hope after loss. She shared something so simple but so freeing: "Expect suffering, but trust the Lord for when that time comes." That hit home for me, not in a heavy way, but like someone finally handing me a flashlight when I’m walking through the dark. And what do we do with that flashlight? We use it to see just enough of the path ahead, not the whole map—just enough to take the next faithful step, trusting God to lead us through.
Why Do We Struggle with Finding Purpose in Suffering?
Let me tell you, I have asked God the hard questions. Why this? Why now? Why not someone else who seems more "deserving" of a lesson? I remember just sitting with my Bible open, tracing stories of people who didn’t get neat, tidy answers either. Does that sound familiar? We look for meaning, not because we want to be martyrs, but because deep down we believe life isn’t random, even when it feels too chaotic to make sense, and gratitude practices for healing can help.
Finding purpose in suffering takes courage and honesty. We want to know the why. Sometimes we get a glimpse, and sometimes, like Job, we never really do, but trusting God through waiting still matters. But I have learned that purpose isn’t always about answers. Sometimes it’s about presence—God’s presence and the presence of people God sends to hold us together when everything else falls apart, including Christian community for women that helps us belong beyond motherhood roles.
What Can Job and Joseph Teach Us About Finding Purpose in Suffering?
If you’ve read the book of Job, you know his losses would break any heart—a life turned upside down, comforters who don’t comfort, and questions that don’t get wrapped up with a nice bow. Yet there’s this line in Job 2 that always makes me stop. "Shall we accept only good from God and not adversity?" (Job 2:10, CSB). Finding purpose in suffering means accepting that both the joys and aches of life are woven together, even if we don’t see the pattern yet.
Joseph’s story is different. His suffering was long—betrayed by family, sold as a slave, forgotten in a prison. But eventually he saw God’s hand. He looked at his brothers and said, "You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result" (Genesis 50:20, CSB). Sometimes, God gives us answers. Sometimes, the most we get is trust. And sometimes, we see that our pain actually preserves life—ours and maybe someone else’s, too.
Practical Ways to Apply Job and Joseph When Life Hurts
- Remember your story is not over just because something broke.
- Let yourself ask God the hard questions—He can handle them.
- Look for those small pieces of grace, like a friend who stocks your pantry or helps your child feel safe.
- Be honest about grief and relief living side by side. It’s okay to feel both.
- Be open to helping others later, even while you’re still sorting through the ashes yourself.
Finding purpose in suffering often means seeing that God is at work, even behind the scenes. Sometimes it takes months or years to notice. Sometimes, you only spot it when looking back. But God wastes nothing. Not a single lost photo, singed eyebrow, or sleepless night.
How Community Helps Us Find Purpose in Suffering
I will never forget the way our community showed up for Tiffany’s family after the fire. I saw it with my own eyes. People feeding them, clothing them, filling their rental house with Christmas trees, setting up uniforms for school so her kids could feel a little normal again. Finding purpose in suffering is so much easier to hold onto when you realize you’re not carrying it alone.
Our faith grows roots in the middle of hard seasons when friends, neighbors, and even strangers become living answers to prayer. I see this in my own life, too. We are built for community, not for going it alone. And honestly, those acts of everyday kindness—they help us find deeper meaning. We get to see what it looks like to love like Jesus, not just when it’s convenient.
Ways Community Support Transforms Our Experience of Suffering
- Provides practical help when you are too shocked to think straight.
- Reminds you that people are God’s hands and feet in the world.
- Gives hope that one day, you’ll get the chance to do the same for someone else.
- Shows that God’s love often arrives in ordinary, quiet ways.
When You Don’t Get the Answers: Trusting God in the Mystery
Let’s be honest. Not every story wraps up with a neat explanation. Some things don’t make sense this side of heaven. That’s what stands out to me about Job. He never knows why he suffered. No secret revealed, no big “aha” moment. But God does answer—by showing up. Sometimes God’s answer isn’t an explanation. It’s His presence, right in the middle of the mess, in the faces of our friends, in the arms of the people who hold our children while we run to get our spouse out of the burning house.
Even when you rebuild, the story sticks with you. Like Job, you might not ever see everything restored the exact way you hope. Or maybe, like Joseph, you get a new perspective years later and realize God was weaving something good out of heartbreak all along. Finding purpose in suffering is about trusting that no pain is random, and God is still working good from things we would never choose.
How to Start Finding Purpose in Suffering Right Now
Let me leave you with a little challenge. When the next hard thing comes, and it will, instead of asking “why me?” what if you asked “what can I receive?” What can I learn, and who might I help because I’ve walked through this? In our family, we chose to claim Philippians 3:8-10 CSB over our loss. "I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ… and the fellowship of his sufferings.” That’s not to minimize the hurt. It just means finding purpose in suffering is rooted in experiencing Jesus more deeply than you ever would without it.
And for the practical side? Let your church, your neighbors, your friends help. Speak up. Say what you need. It’s okay if you don’t have it all together. And maybe, when it’s your turn, you’ll remember to jump in for someone else. That’s how our faith becomes real—it’s shared, lived, applied. Little by little, our stories help show the world that God is faithful, no matter what.
We all want answers. Sometimes purpose looks more like presence, more like partnership with God, more like trusting that this heartbreak has hope on the other side.
If you’re in the middle of a hardship or know someone who is, I want to invite you to listen to our recent podcast conversation for more encouragement and real-life wisdom on finding purpose in suffering. Maybe you need to hear someone else say, "Yes, it’s hard—but God wastes nothing." And maybe, you’ll be the hand someone else needs in the middle of their fire. Keep looking for that purpose. Keep asking God to meet you there.
You are not alone. And you are loved.
