“Weep, trust, pray, think, shift, hope, grow – ways to handle suffering.” – Tim Keller.

Tim Keller was a preacher from New York City. He passed away in 2023. I followed him on Twitter because he tweeted profound thoughts like the one above.

You don’t get through life without facing tough challenges. It’s a fact. None of us have met anyone who has been exempted from hardship.

Keller gives us seven verbs to consider when facing challenges, seemingly in a specific order.

Weep – It’s natural for suffering to bring about weeping. Suffering comes upon us with unanticipated force, setting us back, frustrating us, and scaring us. Weeping in despair is a natural outcome.

Trust – But after weeping, you begin to gather yourself. This is where you do something paradoxical. Keller says you should trust. Since suffering is part of our experience, Keller challenges us to trust the process and believe it will yield fruit.

Pray – As a faithful person, he reminds us to pray. He believes, as do I, that there is someone greater who can affect the challenge. It helps to reach out in prayer.

Think – Study. Consider. Challenges and suffering cause us to reflect. Consider your blessings. Notice your experience in detail. The suffering you experience will be among the most significant you have.

Shift – If you trust the process, you believe it’s leading you somewhere else. It probably causes you to think differently, act differently, and move in a different direction.

Hope – New directions are best when they move you to a better place. Thus, hope weighs significantly. Amazingly, a process that starts with weeping can bloom into hope.

Grow – You can grow from a challenge if you keep the process in mind.

I heard a great speech recently. Iowa State coach Matt Campbell was encouraging his team to love the process of becoming a great team. Here’s what he said:

“If you fall in love with the process, eventually, the process will love you back.”

Suffering and challenge begin a process that takes you somewhere better.

-Howe Q Wallace Jr