Questioning Life on Unwanted Paths with Lori Ann Wood

Have you questioned life when facing an unwanted path? Today's guest, Lori Ann Wood, shares insights on how we can grow stronger through our faith struggles when facing spiritual and circumstantial crises.

After discovering a serious heart condition almost too late, Lori Ann Wood became an award-winning author who encourages deep faith questions along the detours of life.

Lori shares her personal story of discovering her heart function had dropped to six percent. Despite a lack of risk factors, family history, or lifestyle indicators, she received a diagnosis of a critical heart condition.  In addition to health questions, Lori faced serious faith questions. 

Wood relates how her journaling process helped her as she struggled with spiritual doubts and questions during her heart failure journey. 

Lori identifies the main three questions people ask while struggling on an unwanted path in life:

Wood reveals that these mirror the trials faced by Jesus in the wilderness. When facing a temptation, we're also weighing an internal question.

We discuss how God responds to our struggles of faith. Lori relates how she feared her lack of faith kept others' prayers for her healing from being effective. God is not afraid of our questions, however. 

The opposite of faith is not doubt, but indifference.

Our questions might repeat, but entreating God keeps the conversation going. Struggles do not prove spiritual weakness, but can instead strengthen our faith. Lori points to the Psalms, in which authors like David often struggle with faith questions and work through them with the Lord.

Lori advises those in a faith struggle to borrow others' words to pray when prayer proves difficult (praying the Psalms, listening to podcasts, worship music, e.g.). 

Wood explains she learned that God's goodness is not defined by how well my life matches my plan. If my plan doesn't work out, it doesn't change God's nature or character. Lori states that sometimes the period when we feel God is silent can grow our faith and redirect us to God's heart for us.

Questions are part of faith.

Lori Ann’s first book, Divine Detour: The Path You’d Never Choose Can Lead to the Faith You’ve Always Wanted, is available at https://loriannwood.com/books/. Get her free gift, When You Can’t Talk to God, at https://loriannwood.com/hope/.

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