God’s grace in our darkness.
An interview with Ken Chinn.
I’m temporarily lifting the pause I put on my writing for December because I couldn’t pass up sharing a recent interview I did with my friend Ken Chinn on his “Encounters with God” podcast. It was such a delight to sit down with Ken and chat about how the gospel of grace pervades even our darkest moments.
Perhaps the sincerest benefit I’ve received since writing my book, Finding God in the Darkness, is the opportunity it has afforded me to converse with others who are trudging through their own dispiriting seasons. Being open with my own struggles with depression has, if nothing else, opened up windows for conversations such as this, where those who have been through heartache, or perhaps are still there, can find solace in the boundless grace of the one who meets us in our grief.
In many ways, I think this is what the apostle is getting at when he encourages the Corinthians to “comfort those who are in any affliction” with nothing less than “the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:4). The Christian community, you might say, is one that is uniquely tethered to the comfort that is found in the middle of suffering and sorrow, especially since the Christian gospel is a message all about the salvation that is found in Christ’s wounds. The good news of God’s grace imbues sinners, strugglers, and sufferers with the hope of a certain remedy found nowhere else but in the suffering of God’s Son.
In this two-part conversation, Ken and I cover many of these themes, along with several other topics related to the intersection of faith and ongoing struggles with mental health, as well as the story and inspiration behind my book Finding God in the Darkness. I pray this conversation blesses you by pointing you to the one who comforts you in all your affliction.
Here’s Part 1:
Here’s Part 2:
If you are interested in reading more about the convergence of faith and depression and the grace that’s found there, I invite you to pick up a copy of my book, Finding God in the Darkness: Hopeful Reflections from the Pits of Depression, Despair, and Disappointment, in which I explore these themes in greater detail. May it be a balm to you who are weary and worn out.
Grace and peace to you!