Suffering is a difficult topic to discuss in a world that likes to feel good. This video is a beautiful representation of how Christianity views suffering.
Stephanie takes an X-ray, showing parts of oneself that are seemingly broken and useless, and uses it as a canvas to create something beautiful. This video allows us the opportunity to discuss how God redeems our suffering.
It is far easier to run from suffering than it is to embrace it. Embracing suffering is something we learn to do our entire lives, but it is important to make the distinction that suffering in itself isn’t inherently good— it is what God does with that suffering that transforms us. This is the beauty and the mystery of the Cross, an event that is difficult to understand and therefore, often rejected.
I would also recommend these articles on suffering:
It is easy to reject the reality of the Cross in a society that values independence to the point of discarding vulnerability. When we reject the reality of the Cross and don’t allow God into our suffering, our “X-rays” stay tucked away in a folder. But that is exactly the point. Stephanie’s artwork is an example of how when we let Christ in, He uses our X-ray as a canvas to create something beautiful.
This video allows us to discuss with others what Stephanie says, “there is always something broken and you can always take it and put it into a positive… that’s the way you rise up”.
I invite you to reflect upon the areas of your life where God has transformed your suffering. Where has there been healing after hardship? When has your X-ray been turned into a beautiful canvas? What ‘folders’ are still left for God to open and how can you let Him in? Share this video with friends and family to begin the difficult but necessary conversation about finding God in suffering.
