Yet Not Crushed

This past year, my family relocated from the mountains of North Carolina to the coast. Yet a piece of my heart will always be in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina. Reading reports of the lives lost and seeing photos of the physical devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene has made my heart ache for the place I once called home. My family lived in Boone, North Carolina, for almost eight years, and some of our most cherished memories were made there. Southern Appalachia is a special place with wonderful people, churches, and institutions. Appalachians are resilient people who need prayer and support during this difficult time.

Tragic situations often prompt big questions such as, “Why would God allow this?” or “Where is God?” These questions wrestle with God’s sovereignty and the nature of suffering, death, and pain in this life. Speaking on suffering, Dr. R.C. Sproul comments:

The apostle said he was “hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed.” He made no attempt to mask his pain in a fraudulent piety. The Christian is not a Stoic. Neither does he flee into a fantasy world that denies the reality of suffering. Paul freely admitted the pressure he experienced.¹

The people of Southern Appalachia are being hard pressed on every side. The pain of this world is staring them right in the face. There’s no time for “fraudulent piety” or “denying the reality” of pain and suffering. Many are without power and clean water and are cut off from the rest of the world due to collapsed roads.

While Paul doesn’t suppress the reality of pain and suffering, the echo of hope is present even in the darkness when he says that we are “not crushed” (2 Cor. 4:8). Paul acknowledges that when we are suffering, we feel “hard-pressed.” It’s as though the circumstances of life are literally squeezing us and we will soon be crushed under the weight. For our brothers and sisters in Christ, two little words make all the difference. “Not crushed” breaks out amidst the suffering, testifying to the love and grace of God. Pain and suffering don’t need to be suppressed when hope bursts forth from the grave as our Lord Jesus conquered sin and death.

“Not crushed” testifies that for the Christian, our circumstances do not have the last word. Jesus does. The Christian is never fully crushed. Instead, we are called to cast all our burdens on Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). Notice that Peter doesn’t suppress suffering; rather, he tells us to bring our burdens to Jesus. Our Lord is not ashamed of us when we bring our pain and suffering to Him. Instead, He invites us to bring that pain and suffering to Him:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt. 11:28–30)

The burdens and suffering of Southern Appalachians are real and heavy, but they are not too heavy for Jesus. His wounds and scars say otherwise, as does the resounding hope of the empty tomb.

Times of crisis also prompt questions such as, “What can we do?” or “How can I help?” Scripture teaches us that “if one member suffers, all suffer together” (1 Cor. 12:26). Despite geographical distance, the church shares a unity with its hurting brothers and sisters as one body, and we are called to serve and love our neighbors as ourselves. We are to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). Christians aren’t called to be Stoics, but burden bearers.

“Not crushed.” May these words from Scripture and the physical help of God’s people begin to lighten the load of despair and provide hope to those suffering in Southern Appalachia under the weight of this world.