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A Path Through Suffering
Must we stumble through sorrow and tragedy without understanding or is there a lighted way--a path--through suffering? Elisabeth Elliot plots the treacherous passage through pain, grief, and loss a journey most of us will make many times in our life. Through it all, she says, there is only one reliable path, and if you walk it, you will see the transformation of all your losses, heartbreaks, and tragedies into something strong and purposeful. In this powerful moving book, Elisabeth Elliot does not hesitate to ask hard questions, to examine tenderly the hurts we suffer, and to explore boldly the nature of God whose sovereign care for us is so intimate and perfect that he confounds our finite understanding. A Path through Suffering is a book for anyone searching for faith, comfort, and assurance.
188 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1990
168 people are currently reading
1490 people want to read
About the author
Elisabeth Elliot
171 books2,217 followersFrom the Author's Web Site: My parents were missionaries in Belgium where I was born. When I was a few months old, we came to the U.S. and lived in Germantown, not far from Philadelphia, where my father became an editor of the Sunday School Times. Some of my contemporaries may remember the publication which was used by hundreds of churches for their weekly unified Sunday School teaching materials.
Our family continued to live in Philadelphia and then in New Jersey until I left home to attend Wheaton College. By that time, the family had increased to four brothers and one sister. My studies in classical Greek would one day enable me to work in the area of unwritten languages to develop a form of writing.
A year after I went to Ecuador, Jim Elliot, whom I had met at Wheaton, also entered tribal areas with the Quichua Indians. In nineteen fifty three we were married in the city of Quito and continued our work together. Jim had always hoped to have the opportunity to enter the territory of an unreached tribe. The Aucas were in that category -- a fierce group whom no one had succeeded in meeting without being killed. After the discovery of their whereabouts, Jim and four other missionaries entered Auca territory. After a friendly contact with three of the tribe, they were speared to death.
Our daughter Valerie was 10 months old when Jim was killed. I continued working with the Quichua Indians when, through a remarkable providence, I met two Auca women who lived with me for one year. They were the key to my going in to live with the tribe that had killed the five missionaries. I remained there for two years.
After having worked for two years with the Aucas, I returned to the Quichua work and remained there until 1963 when Valerie and I returned to the U.S.
Since then, my life has been one of writing and speaking. It also included, in 1969, a marriage to Addison Leitch, professor of theology at Gordon Conwell Seminary in Massachusetts. He died in 1973. After his death I had two lodgers in my home. One of them married my daughter, the other one, Lars Gren, married me. Since then we have worked together.
Our family continued to live in Philadelphia and then in New Jersey until I left home to attend Wheaton College. By that time, the family had increased to four brothers and one sister. My studies in classical Greek would one day enable me to work in the area of unwritten languages to develop a form of writing.
A year after I went to Ecuador, Jim Elliot, whom I had met at Wheaton, also entered tribal areas with the Quichua Indians. In nineteen fifty three we were married in the city of Quito and continued our work together. Jim had always hoped to have the opportunity to enter the territory of an unreached tribe. The Aucas were in that category -- a fierce group whom no one had succeeded in meeting without being killed. After the discovery of their whereabouts, Jim and four other missionaries entered Auca territory. After a friendly contact with three of the tribe, they were speared to death.
Our daughter Valerie was 10 months old when Jim was killed. I continued working with the Quichua Indians when, through a remarkable providence, I met two Auca women who lived with me for one year. They were the key to my going in to live with the tribe that had killed the five missionaries. I remained there for two years.
After having worked for two years with the Aucas, I returned to the Quichua work and remained there until 1963 when Valerie and I returned to the U.S.
Since then, my life has been one of writing and speaking. It also included, in 1969, a marriage to Addison Leitch, professor of theology at Gordon Conwell Seminary in Massachusetts. He died in 1973. After his death I had two lodgers in my home. One of them married my daughter, the other one, Lars Gren, married me. Since then we have worked together.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
October 31, 2017
I recently read a post by a well known blogger about suffering. He concluded that suffering is not necessarily a means of sanctification in the life of every believer. It was one of the most ridiculous and dangerous things I've ever read. Scripture abounds with the truth that suffering will be part of the life of a Christian. Of course, the means and depth is determined by our God's perfect wisdom and some of us will know more suffering than others, but there are certain truths and a conformity to Jesus that can only be learned in times of suffering. This is my second time through Elliot's book, and her writing once again left me encouraged and thankful and desiring to study the Word and better understand parts of the book that invited a question mark from me in the margins. Her summary at the end of the book about the purpose of suffering is excellent.
August 24, 2012
I am convinced that reading Elisabeth Elliot on ANY subject is going to bless and strengthen your soul. A Path Through Suffering should not sit on the shelf until you think you need it. It will speak to you now.
December 9, 2024
Elizabeth Elliott has become a mentor to me in so many ways. I can’t wait to meet her in heaven one day and let her know the ways she impacted me. ❤️
March 26, 2025
Elisabeth Elliot is a dear spiritual friend to me. She is straightforward and blunt, but there’s a tenderness about her that is only found in one who knows true suffering yet has found it to be eternally valuable.
“We bow in gratitude for His willingness to take the cup the Father gave Him, a cup so immensely more bitter than the one He gives us. Shall we refuse it, or shall we grasp it with both hands, as it were, realizing it holds just what is most needful for our spiritual wholeness? Ours has been sweetened, as Rutherford put it, "at the lip of sweet Jesus." We drink it—by trustful acceptance—and God transforms it for His glory.”
“We bow in gratitude for His willingness to take the cup the Father gave Him, a cup so immensely more bitter than the one He gives us. Shall we refuse it, or shall we grasp it with both hands, as it were, realizing it holds just what is most needful for our spiritual wholeness? Ours has been sweetened, as Rutherford put it, "at the lip of sweet Jesus." We drink it—by trustful acceptance—and God transforms it for His glory.”
June 10, 2021
Really thankful for this book.
December 14, 2015
I have a hard time identifying with the term suffering, because the word seems loaded with comparison. Even when we do feel like we are suffering, it can be hard to talk about it or admit it to others because it seems a little lame compared to the far worse things others deal with.
That’s why I loved Elisabeth Elliot’s book A Path Through Suffering. She doesn’t mess with platitudes about being glad that at least you aren’t as bad off as so-and-so. Rather, she defines suffering as “having what you don’t want or wanting what you don’t have.” Even mild trouble ought to be handled the same way as debilitating and tragic loss, because “if we don’t learn to refer the little thing to God, how shall we learn to refer the big ones?”
The book is simply chock full of convicting, encouraging words on dealing with the discomforts of life in a godly way. There is so much wisdom on how to navigate day-to-day living. I took copious notes and am using them as I work on my goals for next year.
I may choose A Path Through Suffering as one of my top books of this year. Highly, highly recommended.
Read more at A Spirited Mind
That’s why I loved Elisabeth Elliot’s book A Path Through Suffering. She doesn’t mess with platitudes about being glad that at least you aren’t as bad off as so-and-so. Rather, she defines suffering as “having what you don’t want or wanting what you don’t have.” Even mild trouble ought to be handled the same way as debilitating and tragic loss, because “if we don’t learn to refer the little thing to God, how shall we learn to refer the big ones?”
The book is simply chock full of convicting, encouraging words on dealing with the discomforts of life in a godly way. There is so much wisdom on how to navigate day-to-day living. I took copious notes and am using them as I work on my goals for next year.
I may choose A Path Through Suffering as one of my top books of this year. Highly, highly recommended.
Read more at A Spirited Mind
October 13, 2012
This was a great book, full of insights about suffering. In a world that emphasizes self-fulfillment, it was refreshing (and sometimes difficult!) to read about letting go of self, embracing God's will, being willing to be poured out for others. I have a couple dozen scribbled out quotes on Post-it notes from this book. Here is one:
"We are not often called to great sacrifice, but daily we are presented with the chance to make small ones-- a chance to make someone cheerful, a chance to do some small thing to make someone comfortable or contented, a chance to lay down our petty preferences or cherished plans. This probably requires us to relinquish something--our own convenience or comfort, our own free evening, our warm fireside, or even our habitual shyness or reserve or pride. My liberty must be curtailed, bound down, ignored (oh, how the world hates this sort of thing! how our own sinful natures hate it!)-- for the sake of the liberation of others."
"We are not often called to great sacrifice, but daily we are presented with the chance to make small ones-- a chance to make someone cheerful, a chance to do some small thing to make someone comfortable or contented, a chance to lay down our petty preferences or cherished plans. This probably requires us to relinquish something--our own convenience or comfort, our own free evening, our warm fireside, or even our habitual shyness or reserve or pride. My liberty must be curtailed, bound down, ignored (oh, how the world hates this sort of thing! how our own sinful natures hate it!)-- for the sake of the liberation of others."
May 25, 2016
The first third read powerfully. The middle lagged a bit but still contained some thought provoking nuggets. The summary at the very end--four categories of reasons for suffering--is fantastic and I know I'll reference it a lot in the future. Such a good and important read.
October 21, 2024
Loved this book, even more than her other book on suffering (Suffering is Never for Nothing). Elisabeth’s understanding, examples, humility, and outlook gave so much perspective for my own suffering— especially in light of God’s promise to work all things out for our good & His glory (Rom. 8:28). Highly recommend & would read again!
January 27, 2023
This book is rich with wisdom and truth that meets the depths and complexities of suffering. I have read other books on suffering but this hit a bit deeper than most. This is a book I will reread for sure. Not a book to breeze through but savor slowly. I will recommend this to anyone looking for a resource on suffering! Additionally, I appreciated the chapters were short themes or elements of suffering (usually 4-6 pages) and nice to take in small increments. Lots of imagery and metaphors from nature.
May 6, 2023
Had this book on my shelf for awhile, and picked it up to read during a time the Lord knew it would be most helpful… a time of deep suffering and bearing the grief of a loved one. This was beautifully “Elisabeth Elliot” and I’m thankful for every word she’s penned in her days—
“when our souls lie barren in a winter, which seems hopeless and endless, God has not abandoned us. His work goes on. He asks our acceptance of the painful process and our trust that He will, indeed give resurrection life.”
“when our souls lie barren in a winter, which seems hopeless and endless, God has not abandoned us. His work goes on. He asks our acceptance of the painful process and our trust that He will, indeed give resurrection life.”
April 18, 2022
If you're going through physical or emotional pain, grief, or suffering of any kind, Elisabeth Elliott is a good companion. She's suffered herself, so she knows her subject. I read this book slowly, a chapter at a time, because there was so much food for thought. It was deeply nourishing, encouraging, challenging. The best book I've read in the past year or two.
July 22, 2024
I listened to this book on my long runs the last few weeks and it was deeply convicting to listen to this book and hear this accountability. Love me some Elisabeth Elliot!
August 10, 2023
So profound. I finished it and am immediately reading it again. This is a rare gem in the sea of evangelical glib and shallow books. Read it!
December 9, 2022
Elisabeth's words have always touched a place in my heart, a way of bringing the Gospel to bear that resonates with me.
This is a devotional that will be kept nearby, namely on days when I'm world weary and my perspective is dim.
This is a devotional that will be kept nearby, namely on days when I'm world weary and my perspective is dim.
October 11, 2011
I have read quite a bit of Elizabeth Elliott, even had the chance to have dinner with her way back when I was in college, and truthfully she has always seemed superhuman, so strong and unbending in her Christian walk--no weakness about her. This book is also a strong hard call, but in the midst of suffering, it was exactly what I needed to read. I am taking away so many helpful thoughts and ideas, and it has reframed my current hard circumstance.
January 9, 2018
This book is a must-read. I was sad to come to the end of it. And since I read it on a Kindle, I immediately bought it in hardback so I can have a copy for my children to read. Every mother, especially, should read Elliot's beautiful words of how to embrace God's allowing of the imperfect, the sacrificial, the "ups and downs" that characterize all of our lives. I was so strengthened by this book.
January 3, 2022
It felt like there was an answer to every question in this book, rooted in truth. A continuous comfort to my grieving heart, this book was overwhelmingly encouraging and I would highly recommend it to anyone trying to navigate a season of suffering.
February 15, 2017
Extremely well written. Encouraging without sugar coating life's difficulties. Highly recommend!
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June 21, 2016Thoroughly enjoyed this book.
December 15, 2019
NOT SO GOOD:
The analogies of plants that Elizabeth Elliot makes throughout the book can get tiring.
Halfway through, the book also seemed to slow down and peter out, but I'm glad I persevered through the end, as there were many more insightful gems I found.
GOOD:
Overall, I am thankful for Elliot's work on the topic of Suffering, as evidenced by the many highlights I made.
Her book opened up many new perspectives for me on suffering, such as:
1. To encourage and model for our fellow brothers.
But Elliot also warns that "we're seldom shown in advance God's intention in a particular trial, nor the long-term effect our example may have on others."
"Faith need never ask, 'But what good did this do to me?' Faith already knows that everything that happens fits into a pattern for good to those who love God. We need never see what good it did, or how a given trouble accomplishes anything. It is peace to leave it all with Him..."
2. To prove to other spiritual powers that God's children will obey even when it is difficult (as seen in the example of Job)
On a personal note, the book has helped me to better accept the inevitability of suffering and how it HAS to enter our lives -- so that we will mature and produce spiritual fruit.
I was also greatly encouraged by Elliot's sharing that we need not try to "measure" our suffering and compare it to the far greater trials that Paul, Job and others had to undergo.
After all, suffering is essentially "having something we don't want or wanting something we don't have".
Even if our suffering is insignificant in comparison to theirs, it is like "learning the scales on the piano. They're a far cry from a fugue, but you can't play the fugue if you haven't mastered the scales. Our Heavenly Father sets the lessons suited to our progress. All are of His grace."
Elliot's tone is gentle and pastoral, yet strong and steadfast in her call to adhere to God always.
Note that the slow and reflective pace of the book does require patience on the part of the reader, but it will be rewarded.
All in all, I am fairly certain that this book will be helpful to those who may be going through trying times.
The analogies of plants that Elizabeth Elliot makes throughout the book can get tiring.
Halfway through, the book also seemed to slow down and peter out, but I'm glad I persevered through the end, as there were many more insightful gems I found.
GOOD:
Overall, I am thankful for Elliot's work on the topic of Suffering, as evidenced by the many highlights I made.
Her book opened up many new perspectives for me on suffering, such as:
1. To encourage and model for our fellow brothers.
But Elliot also warns that "we're seldom shown in advance God's intention in a particular trial, nor the long-term effect our example may have on others."
"Faith need never ask, 'But what good did this do to me?' Faith already knows that everything that happens fits into a pattern for good to those who love God. We need never see what good it did, or how a given trouble accomplishes anything. It is peace to leave it all with Him..."
2. To prove to other spiritual powers that God's children will obey even when it is difficult (as seen in the example of Job)
On a personal note, the book has helped me to better accept the inevitability of suffering and how it HAS to enter our lives -- so that we will mature and produce spiritual fruit.
I was also greatly encouraged by Elliot's sharing that we need not try to "measure" our suffering and compare it to the far greater trials that Paul, Job and others had to undergo.
After all, suffering is essentially "having something we don't want or wanting something we don't have".
Even if our suffering is insignificant in comparison to theirs, it is like "learning the scales on the piano. They're a far cry from a fugue, but you can't play the fugue if you haven't mastered the scales. Our Heavenly Father sets the lessons suited to our progress. All are of His grace."
Elliot's tone is gentle and pastoral, yet strong and steadfast in her call to adhere to God always.
Note that the slow and reflective pace of the book does require patience on the part of the reader, but it will be rewarded.
All in all, I am fairly certain that this book will be helpful to those who may be going through trying times.
July 23, 2024
Appreciated it as a reread as much as I appreciated it the first time.
“No matter how far along our spiritual pilgrimage we may have come, we need to be shown again and again that humble, ordinary things can be very holy and very full of God. They are not "religious" things, they are plain, earthly things. We may hope for visions and revelations and “wonderful experiences,” forgetting that the context of the revelation of God to each of His children is exactly where that one is, here, on earth, in this house, this kitchen, at this stove, in this family, or at this desk, in this schoolroom, on this tractor or assembly line, this perhaps (to us) very unsatisfactory arrangement of things.”
“…I do not doubt that He will make plain my duty when the time comes, and until then it is not my concern. We make our lives insupportably complex by disobeying Jesus' command to take no thought for tomorrow.
Planning for tomorrow, when planning is necessary and possible, belongs properly to today. Worrying about tomorrow belongs nowhere. The Lord gives us daily, not weekly, bread. He gives strength according to our days, not our years. The work, the suffering, the joy are given according to His careful measure.”
“The itch to know and to have and to be anything other than what God intends me to know, to have, and to be must go.”
“No matter how far along our spiritual pilgrimage we may have come, we need to be shown again and again that humble, ordinary things can be very holy and very full of God. They are not "religious" things, they are plain, earthly things. We may hope for visions and revelations and “wonderful experiences,” forgetting that the context of the revelation of God to each of His children is exactly where that one is, here, on earth, in this house, this kitchen, at this stove, in this family, or at this desk, in this schoolroom, on this tractor or assembly line, this perhaps (to us) very unsatisfactory arrangement of things.”
“…I do not doubt that He will make plain my duty when the time comes, and until then it is not my concern. We make our lives insupportably complex by disobeying Jesus' command to take no thought for tomorrow.
Planning for tomorrow, when planning is necessary and possible, belongs properly to today. Worrying about tomorrow belongs nowhere. The Lord gives us daily, not weekly, bread. He gives strength according to our days, not our years. The work, the suffering, the joy are given according to His careful measure.”
“The itch to know and to have and to be anything other than what God intends me to know, to have, and to be must go.”
January 13, 2024
This is an absolute must read for all Christians. I am so sad it’s over. My copy has been written in and marked up heavily and I will return to it over and over I am sure.
“We bow in gratitude for His willingness to take the cup the Father gave Him, a cup so immensely more bitter than the one He gives us. Shall we refuse it, or shall we grasp it with both hands, as it were, realizing it holds just what is most needful for our spiritual wholeness? Ours has been sweetened, as Rutherford put it, "at the lip of sweet Jesus." We drink it—by trustful acceptance-and God transforms it for His glory. Thus our very suffering may become the substance of sacrifice —a love-offering to God and a sacrifice of praise, and our ambition may be changed as radically as was Paul's, who said,
‘All I care for is to know Christ, to experience the power of his resurrection, and to share his sufferings, in growing conformity with his death’ (Phil 3:10).”
Thank you, Elisabeth Elliot, for your bravery in teaching gospel truth that reaches past our self-pity and self-focus and thrusts us into the mystery of Christ. Your work has truly changed my life.
“We bow in gratitude for His willingness to take the cup the Father gave Him, a cup so immensely more bitter than the one He gives us. Shall we refuse it, or shall we grasp it with both hands, as it were, realizing it holds just what is most needful for our spiritual wholeness? Ours has been sweetened, as Rutherford put it, "at the lip of sweet Jesus." We drink it—by trustful acceptance-and God transforms it for His glory. Thus our very suffering may become the substance of sacrifice —a love-offering to God and a sacrifice of praise, and our ambition may be changed as radically as was Paul's, who said,
‘All I care for is to know Christ, to experience the power of his resurrection, and to share his sufferings, in growing conformity with his death’ (Phil 3:10).”
Thank you, Elisabeth Elliot, for your bravery in teaching gospel truth that reaches past our self-pity and self-focus and thrusts us into the mystery of Christ. Your work has truly changed my life.
May 16, 2024
I read this book for a pastoral class and while I appreciate Elliot's writing prowess I found it to be a bit too all over the place to really connect with. Plus I have some concerns that her theology of suffering at times seems to celebrate suffering for suffering's sake in a way that might lead some to believe that resisting undue suffering is not an expression of God's Justice. I imagine this may have partly been her way of negotiating her own quotidian sufferings that she experienced in her last and longest marriage (one that recent biographers have noted to be particularly oppressive).
Nonetheless, there are some brilliant moments in the book and those in different life circumstances than mine (also those with different convictions about gender roles) would probably find it quite edifying.
Nonetheless, there are some brilliant moments in the book and those in different life circumstances than mine (also those with different convictions about gender roles) would probably find it quite edifying.
September 6, 2025
‘Gods wil was niet ergens ‘daarginds’ verborgen in de omstandigheden waarin ik me bevond; de omstandigheden zelf waren Zijn wil voor mij. Hij wou dat ik deze omstandigheden uit Zijn handen zou aanvaarden, de teugels los zou laten en mij geheel en al tot Zijn beschikking zou stellen. Het was de genade die God mij al mijn hele leven aangeboden had, maar waarvoor ik nooit de moed had gehad haar ten volle te aanvaarden.’ (Walter Ciszek, geciteerd in Een pad door lijden, pag. 115)
Een pad door lijden is een boek dat iedereen gelezen moet hebben. Het laat je zien dat we door al het lijden heen tot Gods eer mogen leven en dat we nooit alleen zijn in de moeilijke wegen. Lijden is een oproep om Hem te volgen, zelfs als dit iets heel kleins is: ‘wanneer we onze dagelijkse verplichtingen doorlopen in het gezelschap van Jezus, leren we wat het opnemen van het kruis inhoudt’ (pag. 151).
Een pad door lijden is een boek dat iedereen gelezen moet hebben. Het laat je zien dat we door al het lijden heen tot Gods eer mogen leven en dat we nooit alleen zijn in de moeilijke wegen. Lijden is een oproep om Hem te volgen, zelfs als dit iets heel kleins is: ‘wanneer we onze dagelijkse verplichtingen doorlopen in het gezelschap van Jezus, leren we wat het opnemen van het kruis inhoudt’ (pag. 151).
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January 20, 2019What a profound little book. What a wind from another, better age, where Christians humbly accepted their suffering from the hand of their sovereign, suffering savior, with sober joy and steadfast endurance. This book is a spotlight shining on the poverty of the modern American Christian’s theology of suffering (very much including myself). Some of the best parts of the book are when Elliott, with permission, shares excerpts of letters from “seasoned sufferers” exhorting and encouraging newly-minted sufferers to stand fast and cling to Christ. Grateful to Tim Keller having recommended this book many years ago, or else I would not have hunted it down and read it. I commend it to all!
August 1, 2020
I would rate this a 3.5- but probably would have rated it higher if I had read this book before reading "Suffering is Not for Nothing". The latter was a distilled version of this book, so lots of overlap there. Still, reading this book was a great use of time. It's cut into very short chunks of 27 chapters, which makes for a palatable devotional. But EE is ALWAYS wonderful and I can't wait to meet her in heaven.
February 11, 2025
I think I'll best come to appreciate the lessons of this book once I've reread it a number of times. This first read has still been a great encouragement to me in this awful time following the death of my baby, and an example of how to see God's good even in the midst of the greatest suffering I've ever known.
Now I need to track down Lilias Trotter's books, although they're now out of print.
Now I need to track down Lilias Trotter's books, although they're now out of print.
March 8, 2025
Rich with wisdom. Best Elisabeth Elliot book I’ve read.
“Why should anyone choose the pathway of suffering if another way is offered?…those who fling soul and body down in joyful abandonment to whatever choice the Father may make for them, rest in the confidence that God will make no errors, in timing or anything else…with exquisite delicacy He prepares us in mysterious ways and teaches us how to receive our daily deaths…The cross has become my home, my rest, my shelter, my refuge.”
“Why should anyone choose the pathway of suffering if another way is offered?…those who fling soul and body down in joyful abandonment to whatever choice the Father may make for them, rest in the confidence that God will make no errors, in timing or anything else…with exquisite delicacy He prepares us in mysterious ways and teaches us how to receive our daily deaths…The cross has become my home, my rest, my shelter, my refuge.”
June 21, 2018
Favorite quotes from this book
Teach me to treat all that comes to me with peace of soul and with firm conviction that your will governs all.
We know that heaven is not here, it's there. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next.
Teach me to treat all that comes to me with peace of soul and with firm conviction that your will governs all.
We know that heaven is not here, it's there. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews