--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was not pastoral teaching, or small…" description: "\"“It was not pastoral teaching, or small group fellowship, or worship services, or books of theology — rather, they mentioned suffering. “People said th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/philip-yancey-840_books_it-was-not-pastoral-teaching-or-small-gr_248537.jpg" --- # It was not pastoral teaching, or small group fellowship… ![“It was not pastoral teaching, or small group fellowship, or worship services, or books of theology — rather, they mentioned suffering. “People said they grew more during seasons of loss, pain, and crisis than they did at any other time.” We discover the hidden value of suffering only by suffering…” quote by Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/philip-yancey-840_books_it-was-not-pastoral-teaching-or-small-gr_248537.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/philip-yancey-840_books_it-was-not-pastoral-teaching-or-small-gr_248537.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/philip-yancey-840_books_it-was-not-pastoral-teaching-or-small-gr_248537.jpg) > ““It was not pastoral teaching, or small group fellowship, or worship services, or books of theology — rather, they mentioned suffering. “People said they grew more during seasons of loss, pain, and crisis than they did at any other time.” We discover the hidden value of suffering only by suffering — not as part of God’s original or ultimate plan for us, but as a redemptive transformation that takes place in the midst of trial.”” [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suffering can become a catalyst for personal growth and spiritual transformation when faced directly. **In simple terms:** Pain can teach and deepen us. Key Takeaway Embrace hardship as a teacher. Themes spiritual growth resilience theology Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational theological When to use this quote - grief counseling - personal crisis - spiritual retreats - mental health therapy Key Concepts redemptive suffering transformational learning Questions to Reflect On - How can you find meaning in pain? - What supports help turn loss into growth? A Different Perspective Suffering is not always purposeful; it can be random and harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Small Group](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-group/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [“I believe Christians walk a mental tightrope and are in constant danger of falling in one of two directions. On this subject, errors in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/i-believe-christians-walk-a-mental-tightrope-and-are-in-constant/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [The point of the Book of Job is not suffering: where is God When It hurts? The prologue (chapters 1-2) dealt with that issue.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/the-point-of-the-book-of-job-is-not-suffering-where-is-god-when-it/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“But there is no value to suffering!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-there-is-no-value-to-suffering/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [We can discover this meaning in life in three different ways: 1. by doing a deed; 2. by experiencing a value; and 3. by suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/we-can-discover-this-meaning-in-life-in-three-different-ways-1-by/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [ Christ transforms the meaning and value of suffering from something to be feared or at best endured into something redemptive \[and transformative\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/christ-transforms-the-meaning-and-value-of-suffering-from-something/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [“Suffering can precipitate creativity, liberating the creator through inspiration and then many available channels of human communication, and therefore there is value in suffering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-green/suffering-can-precipitate-creativity-liberating-the-creator-through/) [Brent Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-green/) > [Oh, if only the suffering soul knew how it is loved by God, it would die of joy and excess of happiness! Some day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-faustina-kowalska/oh-if-only-the-suffering-soul-knew-how-it-is-loved-by-god-it-would/) [Mary Faustina Kowalska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-faustina-kowalska/) > [We're each given one life, and it's our job to make it useful, beautiful, and fulfilling. There is no value in suffering through it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jio/we-re-each-given-one-life-and-it-s-our-job-to-make-it-useful/) [Sarah Jio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jio/) > [“But there is no value to suffering! There is only value, said Derek, to overcoming suffering and seeking to spare others the suffering one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-there-is-no-value-to-suffering-there-is-only-value-said-derek-to/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“Some day, we will know the value of suffering, but then we will no longer be able to suffer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-maria-faustina-kowalska/some-day-we-will-know-the-value-of-suffering-but-then-we-will-no/) Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska > [If we knew the value of suffering, we would ask for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ruefle/if-we-knew-the-value-of-suffering-we-would-ask-for-it/) [Mary Ruefle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ruefle/) > [“And if God is a suffering God, if this whole universe is borne on a heart infinite in compassion, then the more we suffer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/and-if-god-is-a-suffering-god-if-this-whole-universe-is-borne-on-a/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [“There is another reason also why the soul has traveled safely in this obscurity; it has suffered: for the way of suffering is safer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-of-the-cross/there-is-another-reason-also-why-the-soul-has-traveled-safely-in-this/) Saint John of the Cross > [We cannot worship the suffering God today and ignore him tomorrow. We cannot eat and drink the body and blood of the passionate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/we-cannot-worship-the-suffering-god-today-and-ignore-him-tomorrow-we/) [N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/) ## More by Philip Yancey > [“God reproduces and lives out His image in millions of ordinary people like us. It is a supreme mystery. We are called to bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/god-reproduces-and-lives-out-his-image-in-millions-of-ordinary-people/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Love deems this world worth rescuing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/love-deems-this-world-worth-rescuing/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [People instinctively know the difference between something done with a profit motive and something done with a love motive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/people-instinctively-know-the-difference-between-something-done-with/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [In a nutshell, the Bible from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22 tells the story of a God reckless with desire to get his family back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/in-a-nutshell-the-bible-from-genesis-3-to-revelation-22-tells-the/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [You can know the law by heart without knowing the heart of it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/you-can-know-the-law-by-heart-without-knowing-the-heart-of-it/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“I have marveled at, and sometimes openly questioned, the self-restraint God has shown throughout history, allowing the Genghis Khans and the Hitlers and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/i-have-marveled-at-and-sometimes-openly-questioned-the-self-restraint/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [C. S. Lewis observed that almost all crimes of Christian history have come about when religion is confused with politics. Politics, which always runs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/c-s-lewis-observed-that-almost-all-crimes-of-christian-history-have/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Having spent time around "sinners" and also around purported saints, I have a hunch why Jesus spent so much time with the former group:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/having-spent-time-around-sinners-and-also-around-purported-saints-i/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [We preach sermons, write books on apologetics, conduct city-wide evangelistic campaigns. For those alienated from the church, that approach no longer has the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/we-preach-sermons-write-books-on-apologetics-conduct-city-wide/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [I begin with confession not in order to feel miserable, rather to call to mind a reality I often ignore. When I acknowledge where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/i-begin-with-confession-not-in-order-to-feel-miserable-rather-to-call/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Jesus reserved his hardest words for the hidden sins of hypocrisy, pride, greed and legalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-reserved-his-hardest-words-for-the-hidden-sins-of-hypocrisy/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“What greater gift could Christians give to the world than the forming of a culture that upholds grace and forgiveness?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/what-greater-gift-could-christians-give-to-the-world-than-the-forming/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/for-us-who-are-christians-the-death-and-resurrection-of-jesus-christ/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) [Explore all 351 Philip Yancey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was not pastoral teaching, or small group fellowship, or worship services, or books of theology — rather, they mentioned suffering. “People said they grew more during seasons of loss, pain, and crisis than they did at any other time.” We discover the hidden value of suffering only by suffering — not as part of God’s original or ultimate plan for us, but as a redemptive transformation that takes place in the midst of trial.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip Yancey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/it-was-not-pastoral-teaching-or-small-group-fellowship-or-worship/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/it-was-not-pastoral-teaching-or-small-group-fellowship-or-worship/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/philip-yancey-840_books_it-was-not-pastoral-teaching-or-small-gr_248537.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/philip-yancey-840_books_it-was-not-pastoral-teaching-or-small-gr_248537.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/philip-yancey-840_books_it-was-not-pastoral-teaching-or-small-gr_248537.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was not pastoral teaching, or small group fellowship, or worship services, or books of theology — rather…” — Philip Yancey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Philip Yancey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It was not pastoral teaching, or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/it-was-not-pastoral-teaching-or-small-group-fellowship-or-worship/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/it-was-not-pastoral-teaching-or-small-group-fellowship-or-worship/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```