A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows Through Loss [Paperback]

Jerry L. Sittser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1998

Loss came suddenly for Gerald Sittser. In an instant, a tragic accident claimed three generations of his family: his mother, his wife, and his young daughter. While most of us will not experience loss in such a catastrophic form, all of us will taste it. And we can, if we choose, know as well the grace that transforms it. A Grace Disguised plumbs the depths of our sorrows, whether due to illness, divorce, or the loss of someone we love. The circumstances are not important; what we do with those circumstances is. In coming to the end of ourselves, we can come to the beginning of a new life -- one marked by spiritual depth, joy, compassion, and a deeper appreciation of simple blessings.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The experience of loss does not have to be the defining moment of our lives, writes Gerald Sittser. Instead, the defining moment can be our response to the loss. It is not what happens to us that matters so much as what happens in us. Sittser knows. A tragic accident introduced him to loss of a magnitude few of us encounter. But this is not a book about one man's sorrow. It's about the grace that can transform us in the midst of sorrow. For those experiencing loss, A Grace Disguised offers a compassionate, deeply affirming message of hope, richness in living, and joy not after the darkness, but even in the midst of it. Now in softcover.

From the Author

Gerald L. Sittser is associate professor of religion at Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington. He is the author of The Adventure (selected by the Guideposts Book Club) and Loving Across Our Differences

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 16 and up
  
• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310219310
• ISBN-13: 978-0310219316
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Protestantism > Inspirational
  • #99 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Death & Grief > Grief & Bereavement

More About the Author

Jerry Sittser (PhD, University of Chicago) is a professor of religion at Whitworth College. He holds a master of divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary and a doctorate in history from the University of Chicago. He is the author of several books, including When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer and The Will of God as a Way of Life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

107 of 107 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope for Healing, September 15, 2001

By 

Paul M. Dubuc (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows Through Loss (Paperback)

Gerald Sittser's book is among the best I have ever read for those who are struggling with a great loss in life. He speaks from terrible experience. He lost his wife, mother and a daughter in a single automobile accident. From his own experience of the pain and suffering that follows he draws out a meaningful perspective applicable to the universal experience of human suffering. Without diminishing the pain and evil that suffering inflicts and represents, Sittser helps us make sense of suffering in the context of the Christian faith. He does so with honesty and clarity. Suffering can provide an opportunity for spiritual growth and strengthening of character. We all have that choice available to us.

Sittser rejects the notion of "recovery" from catastrophic loss. Such a loss can not be recovered from if that means that we will be the same as before. We will never get over it. Instead, following Victor Frankl's example, he insists that we must find some meaning in suffering. Our souls must be enlarged by it to help us transcend the experience and integrate it into our lives if we are not to be crushed by it instead. He is an able guide to the avenue that the Christian faith provides for this.

The book has a good chapter on the futility of comparing one person's loss to another. He shows that there is no point in deciding whose serious, irretrievable loss is worse than another's. Each experience of loss is unique because each person is unique.

Sittser doesn't minimize the problems that Christian faith presents in suffering. He has been through the dark tunnel of wondering why this accident happened to him and what God's interest, or lack thereof, is in his suffering. He has experienced the agony of loneliness and separation from a God who seems uncaring or unable to ease his pain. We may know in our minds that our perspective must be severely limited compared to God's but it is very hard to continue trusting Him as we thought we did before, believing that somehow God will bring us out into the light again someday. He examines the alternatives to faith and finds them wanting. If there is no God, can there be any meaning in life itself let alone meaning in a life of suffering? Would we really rather live in a world where everyone gets exactly what they deserve, good or bad, a world with no pain, but also no grace? What bearing does God's suffering as Christ on the cross have on our experience? What does it really mean to have faith in God? There are no simple answers, but considering the questions honestly can challenge our preconceived notions. It's a risk worth taking. Sittser has found, as have many others, that there is undeniable grace given by God to those who trust Him in their suffering, a remolding of our character for good in response to the evil of our experience. While we would be fools to seek suffering for whatever good may come of it, it is hard for many to deny that, if the suffering had not come, they would probably not have experienced the works of grace they now find so valuable.

There is also a chapter on forgiveness. As in Sittser's case, there are often particular people whose actions are responsible for our loss. Forgiveness is a hard pill to swallow, if only it were a pill. But withholding it will prevent our own healing. It's helpful to know what forgiveness means and doesn't mean. It doesn't mean condoning the act. It doesn't mean the act should go unpunished. It doesn't mean forgetting it happened. It means that we stop wishing evil for those who have harmed us and instead desire their good. It isn't a process that culminates in a final result or a once-and-for-all event. Once it has been decided upon, forgiving is a continuous frame of mind and an occasionally renewed activity. Through forgiveness, we have the power to end the cycle of hurt. We can choose to have it stop with us, not letting it infect others through us.

Through all his suffering, Gerald Sittser has found that "life has the final word", not death and despair. We don't always get the life we want, but we can find that there is much more to life than what we want and a life beyond this life that exceeds our greatest desires. Our suffering can also help us to help others who suffer. It can provide opportunity for others to share our suffering in love. It's common for many people to offer much needed and sincere support for the victims of loss immediately following the incident. Most of these people understandably try to get back to their own "lives as usual" soon afterward. It was very heartening to read about the people who went further in Sittser's case. Those who decided that their lives would also be changed by his tragedy formed a community of love and support that was good for the long haul. What a blessing.

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amputation, August 7, 2000

By 

weezy (Wyandotte, MI U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows Through Loss (Paperback)

Our son who was 24 years of age was taken from us by a drunk driver on May 16, 1997. A friend from out of state sent me this book about a year after our tragedy. The pain and loss is so horrific that the only persons who can understand are those who have lost a child. I am on my second time through the book,three years after the crash. The first time I underlined many things I could relate to. Now I see that three years are not enough to grieve a child. The world says differently. We walk a lonely road those of us who loose a loved one to tragedy. As I read the book for a second time I see a growth through loss that could not have come any other way in my life. I welcome the growth. Without my son I would never go back to our normal lives because that would mean I never gave birth to him. I want to thank Mr. Sittser for sharing his thoughts and his familes grief to those of us who came after and needed to be carried through our amputation.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone who has experienced loss!!, July 14, 2001

By 

Kim Ellrott (King City, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows Through Loss (Paperback)

Gerald Sittser has written one of the best treatments on how to respond to any significant loss that happens in life. He is clear to point out that living brings with it suffering. Life includes both sorrow and joy, pain and pleasure. A person must learn to live with both. How we respond to the our pain is a choice that we must make. He carefully and gracefully reveals how a person can embrace the pain and grow from the experience regardless of how tragic the event. As we embrace the pain and learn to live with whatever has brought the pain by the grace of God, we will become whole people once again.