The following is an excerpt from a book about suffering written by Timothy Downing, Missionary in Ecuador. The book is titled: The Storm Will ComeBuilding Foundations for Inevitable Suffering
The Theological Foundation of Human Agency in Suffering
The fourth pillar of endurance requires a fundamental shift in the questions we ask when confronting difficult circumstances. The natural human tendency is to ask “Why me?”—a question that seeks explanation for why we, in particular, have been subjected to unwelcome trials. While such questions reflect understandable human reactions and are not inherently sinful (the Psalms are filled with similar inquiries), they typically lead toward victimization and resentment rather than constructive response.
The more empowering question, and the one that leads toward authentic Christian maturity, is “What now?” This seemingly simple shift in interrogation reflects profound theological convictions about human nature, divine providence, and our calling as creatures made in God’s image. It acknowledges that while we may not choose our circumstances, we invariably retain some capacity to choose our responses to those circumstances, and that this capacity for choice represents one of the most important expressions of the imago Dei.
The theological foundation for this understanding lies in the biblical presentation of human beings as responsible moral agents, even within circumstances that limit their options. Joseph in Egypt, Daniel in Babylon, Paul in prison, and countless other biblical figures demonstrate that external constraints do not eliminate internal freedom or moral responsibility. In each case, the individual faced circumstances largely beyond his control but retained significant agency in determining how to respond to those circumstances.
This understanding distinguishes Christian thinking about suffering from both deterministic philosophies that deny genuine human choice and libertarian philosophies that overestimate human control. Christians affirm both divine sovereignty and human responsibility, both the reality of limitations imposed by circumstances and the reality of freedom exercised within those limitations. This paradox proves particularly crucial when addressing suffering, since it prevents both the despair that comes from assuming complete powerlessness and the pride that comes from assuming complete control.
The scriptural warrant for this perspective comes from multiple sources, but perhaps most clearly from Paul’s teaching about contentment in Philippians 4:11-13: “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Paul’s language is instructive. He speaks of having “learned” contentment and of knowing “how to” respond to various circumstances. This suggests that appropriate responses to both favorable and unfavorable conditions require development through practice and experience. They do not occur automatically or instinctively but must be cultivated through sustained effort and divine grace.
Paul also emphasizes that this capacity for appropriate response comes “through him who strengthens me.” This prevents misunderstanding his teaching as mere self-help or human willpower. The agency that believers exercise in responding to circumstances derives from divine empowerment rather than natural human capacity. Yet this empowerment does not eliminate human responsibility but rather enables it. God’s strength does not replace human choice but makes genuine choice possible even in constraining circumstances.
Converting Panic Into Purposeful Action
One of the most immediate applications of the shift from “Why me?” to “What now?” involves learning to convert the natural panic that accompanies unexpected difficulties into purposeful action that serves constructive goals. Panic represents the emotional and physiological response to circumstances that seem to threaten our well-being or exceed our capacity to manage them. While panic serves useful functions in genuine emergencies by mobilizing resources for fight or flight, it becomes counterproductive when sustained over extended periods or applied to situations that require thoughtful response rather than immediate action.
The “What now?” question provides a framework for channeling panic’s energy toward constructive purposes. Instead of allowing fear to paralyze decision-making or drive frantic but ineffective activity, the believer who asks “What now?” can systematically identify areas where meaningful action remains possible and focus attention on those areas rather than on aspects of the situation that lie beyond control.
This conversion process typically involves several steps. First, the believer acknowledges the reality of the threatening circumstances without minimizing their genuine difficulty. The businessman whose company faces bankruptcy does not pretend that his situation is less serious than it appears or that positive thinking alone will resolve his problems. Honest assessment of the situation prevents both false optimism and overwhelming despair by providing a realistic foundation for planning appropriate responses.
Second, the believer identifies which aspects of the situation lie within his sphere of influence and which do not. The businessman cannot control general economic conditions, his competitors’ strategies, or consumer preferences that affect his market. But he can control how he manages remaining resources, how he communicates with employees and customers, what new opportunities he pursues, and how he maintains his own physical and spiritual health during this stressful period.
Third, the believer develops specific plans for addressing those aspects of the situation that do lie within his influence. These plans should be realistic given available resources and time constraints, but they should also be sufficiently comprehensive to provide genuine hope for improvement. The businessman might develop plans for reducing expenses, exploring new markets, seeking additional investment, retaining key employees, and maintaining customer relationships.
Fourth, the believer takes the first concrete steps toward implementing these plans, even if those steps seem small or inadequate to the magnitude of the problem. Action, however limited, typically reduces anxiety more effectively than planning alone. It also provides feedback about the viability of various strategies and creates momentum for further action.
Throughout this process, the “What now?” question prevents the believer from becoming trapped in endless speculation about causes, blame, or alternative histories. Instead of spending mental and emotional energy on questions like “How did this happen?” or “Who is responsible?” or “What if I had made different choices earlier?” the believer focuses on the more productive question of how to respond constructively to current realities.
This approach does not eliminate all anxiety or guarantee positive outcomes, but it typically reduces emotional distress while increasing the likelihood of finding workable solutions to difficult problems. More importantly from a theological perspective, it enables the believer to maintain active partnership with divine providence rather than passive resignation to circumstances that may be partially changeable through human effort.
Authorship Versus Victimhood in Life’s Narrative
Perhaps the most profound implication of shifting from “Why me?” to “What now?” involves the transition from understanding ourselves primarily as victims of circumstances to understanding ourselves as authors (under God) of our responses to circumstances. This transition requires neither denial of genuine victimization nor assumption of complete control over outcomes, but rather recognition that we invariably retain some capacity to shape the meaning and direction of our stories, even when we cannot control their basic plot elements.
The concept of authorship in this context does not suggest that we create the fundamental circumstances of our lives from nothing or that we bear primary responsibility for everything that happens to us. Many of the most significant elements of our life stories—our family of origin, our genetic inheritance, the historical period and geographical location of our birth, the economic and social conditions we encounter—lie largely or entirely beyond our control. In this sense, we are indeed recipients of circumstances rather than their creators.
But within these given circumstances, we retain significant capacity to determine how our stories unfold. We choose how to interpret the events that befall us, what significance to assign to various experiences, how to respond to both opportunities and obstacles, and what kinds of persons we become through our accumulated choices over time. This capacity for authorship within constraints represents one of the most important expressions of human dignity and responsibility.
The victim mentality, while understandable in the immediate aftermath of trauma or injustice, becomes problematic when it crystallizes into a permanent identity. The individual who defines himself primarily as a victim of circumstances focuses his attention on how others have failed him, how unfairly he has been treated, and how powerless he is to improve his situation. This focus, however accurate it may be in describing past events, tends to perpetuate patterns of passivity and resentment that prevent the very recovery and growth that the victim presumably desires.
The authorial mentality, by contrast, acknowledges past trauma or injustice without allowing those experiences to determine future possibilities. The individual who adopts this perspective focuses her attention on how she can respond constructively to her circumstances, what resources remain available to her, and what kinds of purposes she can pursue despite the limitations she faces. This focus tends to promote patterns of agency and hope that create possibilities for growth and recovery that would not exist from within a purely victim-based identity.
Viktor Frankl’s experience in Nazi concentration camps provides one of the most compelling illustrations of this principle. Frankl observed that while prisoners could not control the horrific circumstances imposed upon them, they retained what he called “the last of the human freedoms”—the ability to choose their attitudes toward those circumstances. Some prisoners became consumed with bitterness and despair, while others maintained dignity and even compassion in the face of unimaginable suffering.
From a Christian perspective, Frankl’s insight takes on additional theological significance. The believer who understands herself as created in God’s image possesses not merely psychological capacity for meaning-making but spiritual calling to participate in divine purposes even within circumstances that seem to contradict those purposes. This calling transforms the question of response from mere psychological coping strategy to moral and spiritual imperative.
The transition from victimhood to authorship typically occurs gradually rather than suddenly. It often begins with small exercises of choice in areas where options remain available, even when those areas seem relatively insignificant compared to the major circumstances that have created distress. The individual facing serious illness may begin by choosing how to spend the limited energy available to him each day, what attitudes to cultivate toward his caregivers, or how to use his experience to encourage others in similar situations.
These small exercises of authorship create psychological and spiritual momentum for addressing larger questions of meaning and purpose. Over time, the believer who consistently chooses constructive responses to small challenges develops capacity for maintaining agency in more significant areas of life. The identity gradually shifts from “someone to whom difficult things have happened” to “someone who responds faithfully to whatever circumstances arise.”
This shift does not require minimizing the reality or significance of genuine victimization. The woman who has been sexually assaulted has indeed been victimized, and acknowledging her capacity for authorship in response to that trauma does not diminish the evil that was inflicted upon her or the responsibility of her attacker. But it does recognize that her identity need not be defined permanently by that experience and that she possesses resources for growth and healing that can transcend even severe trauma.
The Discipline of Forward-Looking Prayer
The practical cultivation of agency in the face of suffering requires sustained spiritual discipline, particularly in the area of prayer. The natural tendency when facing difficulty is to pray primarily for relief from unwelcome circumstances or for explanation of why those circumstances have been permitted. While such prayers are not inappropriate and find precedent in scripture, they can become problematic when they represent the exclusive focus of prayer during trials.
Forward-looking prayer complements these natural expressions by focusing attention on how the believer can respond faithfully to present circumstances rather than only on how those circumstances might be changed. This approach to prayer assumes that God is more interested in our character development than in our comfort and that trials may serve divine purposes that are not immediately apparent to us.
The model for forward-looking prayer comes from Jesus’ own prayer in Gethsemane, which combined honest expression of preference (“remove this cup from me”) with forward-looking surrender to divine purposes (“nevertheless, not my will but yours be done”). This prayer acknowledges natural human desires for relief while maintaining primary commitment to faithful response regardless of whether relief comes.
Practical applications of forward-looking prayer might include petitions such as: “Lord, help me to respond to this challenge with the character of Christ.” “Show me how to use this difficulty to serve others who face similar struggles.” “Give me wisdom to know what I can change and grace to accept what I cannot change.” “Help me to find meaning and purpose even if my circumstances do not improve as I hope they will.”
This approach to prayer often proves initially difficult for believers accustomed to viewing prayer primarily as a means of requesting divine intervention in external circumstances. It requires reorienting our understanding of prayer’s purpose from primarily petitionary to primarily formational—from primarily about getting things from God to primarily about becoming the people God intends us to be.
The discipline of forward-looking prayer also involves regular examination of our desires and expectations to ensure they align with biblical priorities. The businessman facing financial difficulties might pray not only for business success but also for contentment with whatever level of provision God sees fit to grant. The parent of a struggling teenager might pray not only for the child’s improved behavior but also for wisdom in her own responses and patience with processes of growth that may take longer than she prefers.
Forward-looking prayer creates psychological and spiritual momentum for action by focusing attention on areas where meaningful response remains possible. Instead of feeling trapped by circumstances beyond our control, we begin to identify opportunities for faithful response within whatever constraints we face. This often reveals possibilities for constructive action that were not apparent when our attention was focused primarily on what we could not change.
Practical Applications: From Paralysis to Purpose
The theoretical understanding of agency within suffering must be translated into concrete practices that enable believers to maintain purposeful action even when facing circumstances that naturally produce paralysis or despair. These practices require systematic attention and sustained effort, but they can be learned by anyone willing to invest the necessary time and energy.
The Sphere of Influence Exercise
When facing any significant challenge, create three lists: (1) aspects of the situation you can directly control, (2) aspects you can influence but not control, and (3) aspects that lie entirely beyond your influence. Focus your primary attention and energy on the first category, give appropriate but not excessive attention to the second, and practice acceptance regarding the third.
This exercise prevents the common tendency to become overwhelmed by the totality of a difficult situation and helps identify specific areas where meaningful action remains possible. It also reduces anxiety by clarifying which concerns deserve immediate attention and which are better addressed through prayer and acceptance.
The Daily Agency Practice
Each day, identify at least three specific actions you can take that serve constructive purposes, regardless of how small or seemingly insignificant those actions might be. These might include making phone calls related to addressing problems, reading materials that provide relevant information, engaging in physical exercise that maintains health during stress, or performing acts of service for others.
The key is to maintain the habit of purposeful action even when individual actions seem inadequate to the magnitude of the challenges you face. Over time, these small exercises of agency create momentum and confidence that enable more significant responses when opportunities arise.
The Meaning-Making Practice
Regularly ask yourself: “How might I use this experience to serve purposes that transcend my immediate personal interests?” This might involve using your trial to develop greater empathy for others in similar situations, to deepen your understanding of divine grace, to strengthen relationships with family and friends, or to contribute to causes that address systemic issues related to your struggle.
This practice transforms suffering from mere ordeal to be endured into potential contribution to larger purposes. It often reveals ways that even unwelcome experiences can contribute to personal growth and service to others.
The Story Reframing Exercise
Write about your current situation as a story in which you are the protagonist rather than merely a victim of circumstances. What challenges is the protagonist facing? What resources does he or she possess for addressing those challenges? What would constitute a satisfying resolution to the story, and what steps might the protagonist take toward such resolution?
This exercise activates the authorial perspective by encouraging you to think about your situation in terms of narrative development rather than merely circumstantial difficulty. It often reveals possibilities for action and growth that are not apparent when focusing only on the problems you face.
The Legacy Practice
Consider how you want to be remembered in relation to your current struggle. What would you want others to say about how you handled this challenge? What kind of example do you want to provide for your children, friends, or others who may face similar difficulties in the future?
This practice motivates constructive responses by connecting present choices to long-term consequences that extend beyond immediate circumstances. It often provides clarity about values and priorities that can guide decision-making during confusing or overwhelming periods.
Community Support for Agency Development
The development of healthy agency in response to suffering requires community support, since isolation typically reinforces feelings of powerlessness while relationships provide resources and accountability for constructive response. However, not all forms of community support effectively promote agency. Some forms of social support, while well-intentioned, actually reinforce victimization by focusing exclusively on how the sufferer has been wronged rather than on how he or she might respond constructively.
Effective community support for agency development balances empathetic acknowledgment of genuine difficulty with encouragement for constructive response. Friends and family members who provide such support acknowledge the reality of suffering without colluding with despair, offer practical assistance without fostering dependence, and express confidence in the sufferer’s capacity for growth without minimizing present challenges.
Church communities have particular opportunities and responsibilities in this regard, since they possess theological resources for understanding suffering’s potential role in spiritual formation. Congregations that effectively support members facing trials provide both practical assistance (meals, transportation, financial help when appropriate) and spiritual encouragement (prayer, scripture-based hope, examples of others who have navigated similar challenges successfully).
Perhaps most importantly, effective communities maintain hope for growth and recovery while respecting the time and process that such growth typically requires. They neither pressure sufferers to “move on” more quickly than is realistic nor enable them to remain trapped in victimization indefinitely. This balance requires wisdom, patience, and sustained commitment to the long-term welfare of community members.
The ultimate goal of community support for agency development is not the elimination of suffering but the development of character that can bear suffering faithfully and constructively. Communities that achieve this goal discover that their members’ trials become opportunities for collective spiritual growth and witness to the transformative power of divine grace working through human response to difficulty.
This fourth pillar of endurance—the transition from victim to agent—prepares the foundation for the final pillar. Without the capacity to exercise meaningful choice in response to circumstances, believers cannot maintain the sense of identity and purpose that enables them to weather life’s most severe storms. With this capacity, they possess the essential foundation for discovering that their ultimate identity transcends any particular circumstances they may face.
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Thanks Bro