Purpose in Pain

It isn’t just the pain. Chronic illness steamrolls people’s dreams and leaves a trail of destruction in its wake. When one is left to pick up the pieces, the questions mount: Where is God in this pain? Why did God let this happen? What purpose is left in one’s life?



In Purpose in Pain, David Heflin addresses these questions by framing the chronic illness journey within the biblical story of loss and restoration. The book unfolds in two parts: Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. In the first part, Heflin weaves his own experience and the stories of others living with chronic illness together with theological insight to help readers honestly lament what has been lost. Chronic illness affects far more than the body—it reshapes dreams, work, finances, relationships, dignity, and mental health. In the second part, Paradise Regained, Heflin invites readers to discover how God restores what was lost in deeper and more enduring ways through Jesus Christ. Purpose in Pain offers hope grounded not in the promise of healing alone but in God’s faithful redemption of suffering.