Affliction Quote by Timothy Keller
““One of the main ways we move from abstract knowledge about God to a personal encounter with him as a living reality is through the furnace of affliction.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Reason for God, 2008
Suffering can deepen personal faith by confronting abstract belief with lived experience.
In simple terms: Hardship can make faith real.
Key Takeaway
Embrace challenges to grow spiritually.
Themes
faith
suffering
personal growth
Mood
contemplative
hopeful
Type
spiritual
philosophical
When to use this quote
- grief counseling
- spiritual retreats
- personal crisis
- mission work
Key Concepts
theology
psychology
existentialism
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we support those in suffering?
- When does suffering become destructive?
A Different Perspective
Not all suffering leads to faith; some may cause doubt.
![“24 A few pages later, Delbanco writes the following: [Alexis de] Tocqueville’s detection of a “strange melancholy in the midst of abundance” has a special salience today — because while we have gotten very good at deconstructing old stories (the religion that was the subject of my first chapter…” quote by Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/85a/timothy-keller-240_sad_24-a-few-pages-later-delbanco-writes-the_25320.jpg)
![“May I strike my heart's keys clearly, and may none fail because of slack, uncertain, or fraying strings. May the tears that stream down my face make me more radiant: may my hidden weeping bloom… How we waste our afflictions!... [T]hey're really our wintering foliage, our dark greens of meaning…” quote by Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7c7/rainer-maria-rilke-193_abode_may-i-strike-my-heart-s-keys-clearly-and_52479.jpg)
