Struggles Parents Face After Unexpected News: A Field Guide
A Thematic Index from Siege of the Soul by Brianne Sutton
After unexpected news about your child, certain struggles become familiar companions: isolation, doubt, crushing fear about the future, wondering if God still hears you. These aren’t random—they follow patterns. This field guide catalogs the struggles woven throughout Siege of the Soul, showing you where each appears in the book, what makes it so believable, and what biblical truth speaks into it. The book is forthcoming in February 2026 and will immerse you in the rich background journey that shows how these tactics emerge in everyday life. Whether you’re battling the feeling that you caused this, that no one understands, or that hope is dangerous, this index helps you name the struggle and points you toward the companionship and truth you’ve been craving.
How to Use This Guide
Find the struggle you’re facing or the lie you’re believing. Each entry shows where it appears in the book, what truth counters it, and why parents experience it. This guide maps the territory covered in Siege of the Soul—it’s not a comprehensive biblical resource on suffering, but a companion in your journey through it.
Table of Contents
CATEGORY 1: Struggles with Worth & Identity
“Did I cause this?”
The struggle: Parents often wonder if their choices, sins, or lack of faith somehow caused their child’s diagnosis.
The lie underneath: “You caused this”—that your actions brought this on your child.
Where it appears: Letter III (The Calculus of Being), echoes in Letters V, XIII, XXIII
The truth: Suffering isn’t always punitive. Your child’s existence and condition are not cosmic errors or divine punishment. Jesus directly addressed this in John 9—sometimes suffering exists so God’s work can be displayed.
Why parents struggle with this: Guilt gives us the illusion of control. If we caused it, maybe we can fix it. It’s psychologically easier to blame ourselves than to accept mystery.
“I’m not enough”
The struggle: The feeling that a better parent would handle this with more grace, patience, faith, and competence.
The lie underneath: Your adequacy determines your worth as a parent.
Where it appears: Letters V (The Tyranny of Impossible Standards), VII (The Sweetness of Self-Sufficiency), XX (The Disfigurement of Identity)
The truth: God doesn’t ask you to be enough. He asks you to be present and dependent on Him. Your adequacy was never the point—His sufficiency is.
Why parents believe this: We compare our inside chaos to everyone else’s curated outside. We measure ourselves by impossible standards and call it “responsibility.”
“God chose you because you’re special/strong”
The lie (masquerading as encouragement): This platitude makes your suffering feel like a compliment, suggesting God hand-selected you because you can “handle it.”
Where it appears: Letter III, referenced throughout as toxic positivity
The truth: God doesn’t distribute suffering based on strength rankings. He promises presence, not explanation. He doesn’t give children to the “best” parents—He gives grace to all parents.
Why it hurts: It denies your right to lament. It turns suffering into a performance review. It suggests that struggling means you’re failing the test.
“If I were truly faithful, I’d feel more peace”
The lie: Real Christians don’t struggle this much. Your anxiety/exhaustion/doubt proves your faith is insufficient.
Where it appears: Letters V, XIII (Transactional Faith), XIV (Prayer as Complaint), XVI (Spiritual Doubt)
The truth: Biblical faith often coexists with struggle. The Psalms are filled with lament. Jesus sweat blood in Gethsemane. Faithfulness is showing up, not feeling perfect.
Why parents believe this: Church culture often celebrates victory stories, not endurance stories. We mistake emotional management for spiritual maturity.
“I should be over this by now”
The struggle: The feeling that grief should have an expiration date, that you should have “moved on” or “adjusted” by now.
Where it appears: Letter XV (The Downhill Slide of Disappointment), Letter XXI (The Trap of Nostalgia)
The truth: Chronic suffering requires chronic grace. There’s no timeline for processing ongoing loss. Lament is a biblical practice, not a phase to outgrow.
Why parents feel this: Everyone else has moved on with their lives. Your struggle is still here, still present, still requiring daily navigation.
CATEGORY 2: Questions About Your Child
“My child feels like a burden”
The struggle: You love them fiercely AND feel the weight of care crushing you—both are true, and the tension feels unbearable.
Where it appears: Letter I (Upon the Diagnosis), Journal Entry 1, Letter VI (The Allure of Comparison)
The truth: Acknowledging hardship isn’t rejection. It’s honesty. Jesus called His followers to take up their cross—He didn’t pretend dying to yourself was easy. Naming the cost doesn’t diminish the love.
Why parents hide it: Shame. Fear of judgment from others. Worry that God is listening and will think less of us. Cultural pressure to only speak positively about our children.
“If I just believed harder, they’d be healed”
The lie: Your child’s condition is a referendum on the quality of your faith. More belief = breakthrough.
Where it appears: Letters IV, XIII (Transactional Faith), XIV (Prayer as Complaint)
The truth: Faith doesn’t manipulate God into action. It trusts Him when nothing changes. Healing is His sovereign choice, not a vending machine reward for sufficient belief.
Why it persists: Prosperity gospel has poisoned how we talk about suffering. It gives us someone to blame (ourselves) when healing doesn’t come, which feels better than accepting mystery.
“Every difficulty means I’m doing something wrong”
The struggle: The feeling that if you were parenting correctly, using the right therapies, praying the right prayers, your child would progress faster.
Where it appears: Letter V (Tyranny of Impossible Standards), Letter XII (The Illusion of Control)
The truth: Some struggles simply are struggles. Progress isn’t always linear. Limitation is part of the human condition, not proof of your inadequacy.
Why parents experience this: When we can’t control outcomes, we try to control our own performance. It’s terrifying to accept that doing everything “right” might not change the trajectory.
“Was it right to bring this child into the world?”
The struggle: In the darkest moments, wondering if your child’s life—with all its pain and/or struggle—is a mistake.
The lie underneath: Your child’s existence is an error, and you should have prevented it.
Where it appears: Letter III (The Calculus of Being)
The truth: Every life, no matter how marked by suffering, is precious and profoundly sacred. Your child’s existence is not a cosmic error but a mystery woven with purpose.
Why parents hide this thought: Shame. The belief that no good mother would ever think this. Fear that admitting it makes it true or reveals something monstrous about you.
Finding this guide interesting? Please consider sharing this page or the book with a friend.
CATEGORY 3: Doubts About God
“Is God silent?”
The struggle: You’ve prayed, fasted, begged—and nothing has changed. Where is He?
Where it appears: Letters IV, XIV (Prayer as Complaint), XVI (Spiritual Doubt), Journal Entry 2
The truth: God’s presence isn’t measured by answered prayers in the way we expect. Jesus experienced this in Gethsemane and on the cross (”My God, why have you forsaken me?”). Silence doesn’t equal absence.
Why it feels true: We equate God’s love with comfort and His goodness with favorable circumstances. When neither appear, we assume He’s withdrawn.
“God is punishing you”
The lie: This diagnosis/struggle is divine retribution for past sins or generational curses.
Where it appears: Letter III (The Calculus of Being), implied throughout Letters I-VI
The truth: Jesus explicitly rejected this theology in John 9. While we live in a fallen world with natural consequences, God is not vindictively punishing you through your child’s suffering.
Why parents fear it: When we can’t explain suffering, we search for cause-and-effect. Punishment makes terrible sense of senseless pain.
“If God really loved me, this wouldn’t be happening”
The lie: God’s love is proven by favorable circumstances. Suffering means He’s distant, disappointed, or doesn’t care.
Where it appears: Letters XIII (Transactional Faith), XV, XVI (Spiritual Doubt)
The truth: The cross demolishes this lie. God loved us enough to suffer with us and for us. His love isn’t conditional on our comfort—it’s demonstrated in His presence through our pain.
Why it’s believable: We’re wired to associate love with protection and provision. When those seem absent, love feels absent too.
“This is spiritual warfare, so I need to fight harder”
The lie (partial truth twisted): If you just resist more, bind more, declare more, pray more fervently, the siege will lift.
Where it appears: Letter IV, throughout the book’s framework, Letter XVII (Demanding Certainty)
The truth: You’re not called to fight harder in your own strength. You’re called to stand firm in what’s already true—that Christ has already won. Spiritual warfare is real, but victory comes through surrender to Him, not through your effort. The enemy exploits our already-fallen nature, pushing us toward isolation, self-sufficiency, and despair.
Why it’s exhausting: It makes you the warrior instead of the beloved. It turns faith into performance. It suggests your current struggle means you’re not “warring” correctly.
“God expects me to carry this alone”
The lie: True faith means handling everything yourself without complaint or need for help.
Where it appears: Letters VII (Self-Sufficiency), VIII (Isolation), XIV (Prayer as Complaint)
The truth: God designed us for community. “Bear one another’s burdens” isn’t optional—it’s how the body of Christ functions. Needing help isn’t weak; it’s human and holy.
Why parents believe it: We’ve confused strength with independence. We fear being a burden. We interpret asking for help as admitting failure.
CATEGORY 4: Wrestling with Faith & Prayer
“Real faith looks joyful”
The lie: If you’re struggling, doubting, or exhausted, you’re doing faith wrong. Authentic believers are consistently victorious and peaceful.
Where it appears: Letters X (The Suspicion of Joy), XV (Downhill Slide), XVI (Spiritual Doubt), Journal Entry 2
The truth: Lament is faith. Questioning is faith. Showing up exhausted is faith. The Psalms model honest struggle as worship. Job questioned God and was called righteous.
Why we believe it: Church culture often celebrates breakthrough stories and testimonies of victory, not the daily grind of faithful endurance. We see the highlight reel, not the hidden wrestle.
“Prayer should change things—if it doesn’t, I’m doing it wrong”
The struggle: The feeling that effective prayer produces visible results, and unanswered prayer means insufficient faith, wrong motives, or hidden sin.
Where it appears: Letters XIII (Transactional Faith), XIV (Prayer as Complaint), Clovestapler’s Guide to Subverting Biblical Prayer
The truth: Prayer changes us as much as (or more than) it changes circumstances. God invites relationship, not transaction. Sometimes “no” or “wait” is the answer that serves His greater purpose.
Why it devastates: We approach prayer like a divine vending machine. When we insert enough faith-coins and nothing happens, we assume the machine is broken or we’re using it wrong.
“I need to figure things out before I can move forward”
The struggle: The feeling that you can’t trust God until you have clarity, answers, and a clear roadmap.
The lie underneath: God owes you understanding before obedience.
Where it appears: Letter XVII (The Folly of Demanding Certainty), Letter XII (Illusion of Control)
The truth: Faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Abraham went out “not knowing where he was going.” Obedience often precedes understanding.
Why parents cling to it: Uncertainty feels unbearable when you’re already overwhelmed. We want the map before we take the step. But God offers His presence, not His blueprint.
“I’m not allowed to be angry at God”
The lie: Bringing raw emotions to God—anger, doubt, despair—is disrespectful or sinful. Real faith stays polite.
Where it appears: Letters IX (Bitterness), XIV (Prayer as Complaint), XVI (Spiritual Doubt), Clovestapler’s Guide
The truth: God can handle your rage. The Psalms are full of brutally honest prayers. Job accused God of injustice and God didn’t rebuke him for it. Honesty in relationship is intimacy, not irreverence.
Why parents suppress it: We fear judgment—from God and from other Christians. We’ve been taught that good Christians don’t feel these things, so we bury them, where they fester into bitterness or detachment.
“Gratitude means never admitting difficulty”
The lie: Being thankful requires minimizing pain, toxic positivity, or pretending things are better than they are.
Where it appears: Letters VI (Comparison), IX (Bitterness), XXIV (When Gratitude Wakes the Soul)
The truth: Biblical gratitude coexists with lament. Paul gave thanks in prison. The Psalms thank God while crying out in pain. Gratitude isn’t denial—it’s recognizing God’s presence within the hardship.
Why it feels fake: We’ve been taught that complaining equals ingratitude. So we perform gratitude while stuffing down genuine grief, which eventually curdles into bitterness or numbness.
“Acceptance means giving up hope”
The struggle: The fear that surrendering to your reality means resigning yourself to fatalism—that if you accept things as they are, you’ve stopped believing God can change them.
Where it appears: Letter XI (The Mirage of Acceptance), Letter XV (Downhill Slide), Letter XXV (Preemptive Grief)
The truth: Biblical acceptance isn’t fatalism—it’s trust. It says “Even if not, He is still good” (Daniel 3). Acceptance of reality can coexist with hope for redemption. Surrender isn’t giving up; it’s giving over.
Why we resist it: We confuse acceptance with approval. We fear that if we stop fighting circumstances, we’re betraying our child or abandoning faith. But peace comes from trusting God with outcomes, not controlling them.
CATEGORY 5: The Isolation Trap
“No one understands”
The struggle (and partial truth): Your specific battle IS unique. But the isolation convinces you that you’re completely alone in the siege.
Where it appears: Letter I (Upon the Diagnosis), Letter VIII (The Subtle Art of Isolation), Journal Entry 1
The truth: While your specific story is unique, you’re not alone in carrying unbearable weight. Others have walked through fire and found God there. You don’t need someone with your exact story—just someone who understands the weight.
Why it’s dangerous: Isolation is where lies thrive. When you believe no one can understand, you stop reaching out. And the enemy loves an isolated believer.
“Everyone else’s kid is fine—what did we do wrong?”
The struggle: The feeling that you’re uniquely cursed, that other families’ ease proves your failure.
Where it appears: Letter VI (The Allure of Comparison), Journal Entry 1
The truth: You’re seeing curated exteriors, not hidden struggles. Every family carries something. Comparison is the thief of joy and the architect of false narratives.
Why social media makes it worse: We compare our behind-the-scenes to everyone else’s highlight reel. We see their vacation photos, not their persistent meltdowns.
“If I were stronger, I wouldn’t need help”
The lie: Asking for help is admitting defeat. Self-sufficiency is virtue; dependence is weakness.
Where it appears: Letter VII (The Sweetness of Self-Sufficiency), Letter VIII (Isolation)
The truth: God designed the body of Christ to be interdependent. “Bear one another’s burdens” is a command, not a suggestion. Your need is not a flaw—it’s an invitation to experience community as God intended.
Why we resist: Pride masquerading as responsibility. We fear being a burden. We interpret needing help as proof we’re failing.
“People will judge me if they know how hard this really is”
The struggle: The fear that honesty will make you a charity case, a source of gossip, or someone people avoid.
Where it appears: Letter VII (Self-Sufficiency), Letter VIII (Isolation)
The truth: Vulnerability is the pathway to genuine connection. The people who matter won’t judge—they’ll draw closer. And those who pull away revealed they couldn’t handle real relationship anyway.
Why we hide: Past experiences of being misunderstood or pitied. Fear of being defined by our struggle. The exhaustion of explaining ourselves over and over.
“My marriage should survive this effortlessly”
The lie: If you really loved each other, stress wouldn’t create distance. Good marriages don’t struggle under pressure.
Where it appears: Letter XVIII (Stoking Marital Strain), Letter V (Impossible Standards)
The truth: Crisis reveals and strains every relationship. Exhaustion, grief, and fear create tension even in strong marriages. What matters isn’t avoiding conflict but how you move through it together.
Why couples suffer silently: We see other couples’ public faces and assume they’re fine. We fear admitting struggle means our marriage is failing. So we isolate from each other, which creates the very failure we feared.
“My other children should just understand”
The struggle: The feeling that siblings should naturally adjust without resentment, grief, or their own struggles—and if they’re having a hard time, you’re failing them too.
Where it appears: Letter XIX (The Souring of Sibling Love)
The truth: All your children are navigating loss and adjustment. The typically developing child is allowed to grieve what’s different, feel overlooked at times, and struggle with the weight. Their feelings don’t negate their love.
Why it’s painful: You’re already carrying guilt about your child with special needs. Adding guilt about your other children feels unbearable. But naming their reality isn’t failure—it’s seeing them.
CATEGORY 6: Fear & The Future
“Tomorrow is a weapon”
The struggle: The crushing fear of the future—what will happen when you’re gone, how you’ll afford care, whether your child will ever have independence or community.
Where it appears: Letter IV (The Crushing Fear of the Future), Letter XII (Illusion of Control)
The truth: God gives grace for today, not for hypothetical tomorrows. He hasn’t abandoned your future—He’s already there, preparing the way. Your job is faithfulness in the present, not omniscience about what’s coming.
Why it overwhelms: When we can’t control outcomes, we try to anticipate every scenario. We mistake anxiety for preparedness, worry for wisdom.
“I have to figure everything out right now”
The struggle: The pressure to have every answer, every plan, every contingency mapped out immediately after diagnosis.
Where it appears: Letter IV (Fear of the Future), Letter XII (Illusion of Control), Letter XVII (Demanding Certainty)
The truth: You don’t need to know the whole path—just the next step. God gives light for the step you’re on, not the entire staircase.
Why we pressure ourselves: Control feels like the only power we have. If we can master the information, anticipate the problems, maybe we can prevent disaster.
“The best years are behind me”
The struggle: The feeling that your life peaked before the diagnosis, that everything from here is diminishment, loss, settling for less.
Where it appears: Letter XXI (The Trap of Nostalgia), Letter XV (Downhill Slide)
The truth: God is writing a story you haven’t seen yet. What’s been lost may birth something you never imagined. Resurrection always follows crucifixion in His economy. The best may be ahead—just different than you pictured.
Why nostalgia destroys: Idealizing the past poisons the present. We remember what was through rose-colored lenses and compare it to today’s unfiltered reality. We miss the grace in the now because we’re mourning the then.
“Hope is dangerous—it only leads to disappointment”
The struggle: The fear that protecting yourself from future pain by refusing to hope is wisdom. Expect nothing good and you won’t be hurt.
Where it appears: Letter XXV (The Preemptive Grief of Hope), Letter XV (Downhill Slide), Letter X (Suspicion of Joy)
The truth: Hope isn’t naive optimism—it’s trust in God’s character regardless of outcomes. Biblical hope isn’t “I believe things will go my way” but “I believe God is good and present no matter what comes.”
Why we pre-grieve: Past disappointments have taught us that joy costs. So we refuse joy now to avoid pain later. But this “protection” actually steals the gift of the present moment.
“I’ll never have rest or freedom again”
The struggle: The belief that there will be no restful retirement, no quiet mornings, no spontaneous joy—only more work, more sacrifice, until you die.
Where it appears: Letter IV (Fear of the Future), Letter XXI (Nostalgia)
The truth: God’s yoke is easy and His burden is light—not because circumstances become effortless, but because He carries the weight with you and life lived His way (Matthew 22:37-40) is fulfilling. Rest isn’t found in changed circumstances but in His presence.
Why it feels true: We see the years stretching ahead with no apparent off-ramp. We mourn the life we imagined. But we’re measuring earthly rest when God offers eternal perspective.
CATEGORY 7: Shame, Condemnation & Identity
“I’ve failed too many times to be used by God”
The lie: Your mistakes, harsh words, moments of despair have disqualified you. God tolerates you but can’t really use someone this broken.
Where it appears: Letter XXIII (The Voice of Condemnation), Letter XVI (Spiritual Doubt)
The truth: God specializes in using broken vessels. Moses murdered. David committed adultery. Peter denied Christ. Paul persecuted the church. Your failures don’t disqualify you—they often become the very place God’s power is displayed.
Why we believe it: Shame whispers that we’re uniquely disqualified. We confuse our performance with our position. We forget that grace isn’t just for salvation—it’s for every moment after.
“God is disappointed in me”
The lie: Every time you lose patience, doubt, or stumble, God crosses His arms and sighs. You’re exhausting His patience.
Where it appears: Letter XXIII (The Voice of Condemnation), Letter V (Impossible Standards), Letter XIII (Transactional Faith)
The truth: There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). God sees you through the lens of Christ’s righteousness, not your performance. He’s not disappointed—He’s present, patient, pursuing.
Why it feels true: We project human disappointment onto God. We parent ourselves the way we fear He parents us—with exasperation and conditional love. But His love isn’t like ours.
“Real repentance means perpetual self-punishment”
The lie: If you’re truly sorry, you should feel guilty indefinitely. Peace after confession means you didn’t take your sin seriously enough.
Where it appears: Letter XXIII (The Voice of Condemnation), Clovestapler’s distinction between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow
The truth: Godly sorrow leads to repentance and freedom. Worldly sorrow (condemnation) leads to death and despair. God doesn’t want you to wallow—He wants you to receive forgiveness, change, and move forward.
Why we stay stuck: We confuse shame with humility. We think beating ourselves up is spiritual. But self-punishment doesn’t honor Christ’s sacrifice—it implies it wasn’t enough.
“I’m too broken to be beloved”
The lie: God loves you in theory, but your specific brokenness—your anxiety, depression, anger, doubt—makes you hard to love. You’re the exception to “beloved.”
Where it appears: Letter XX (Disfigurement of Identity), Letter XXIII (Condemnation), throughout the patient’s journey
The truth: You are beloved not because of who you are but because of who He is. His love isn’t a response to your lovability—it’s a declaration of His character. You are His child, period.
Why we can’t receive it: We measure God’s love by human metrics. We think “beloved” is earned, not given. We can’t fathom being delighted in when we’re falling apart.
“I’ve lost who I used to be”
The struggle: The grief that the diagnosis killed the person you were—your dreams, personality, joy—and that version of you is gone forever.
Where it appears: Letter XX (The Disfigurement of Identity), Letter XXI (The Trap of Nostalgia), Journal Entry 2
The truth: You’re not the same, but you’re not dead. You’re being refined, deepened, transformed. The person you’re becoming may be stronger, more compassionate, more dependent on God—different, but not destroyed.
Why we grieve this: Change feels like death when we didn’t choose it. We mourn the future we imagined and the person we thought we’d become. But God is making something new, not just taking away.
“This is who I am now—just survival mode”
The struggle: The feeling that your identity is “special needs parent” or “crisis manager,” and that’s all you’ll ever be.
Where it appears: Letter XX (Disfigurement of Identity), Letter VII (Self-Sufficiency), Journal Entry 3
The truth: Your circumstances are part of your story, not the totality of your identity. You are first and always God’s beloved child. Parent, caregiver, advocate—these are roles you fill, not the essence of who you are.
Why we lose ourselves: When crisis becomes chronic, survival becomes identity. We forget we were created for more than management. We lose the person beneath the roles.
“I have to hold everything together”
The struggle: The crushing weight of believing that if you don’t manage everyone’s emotions, keep the schedule perfect, anticipate every need, everything will fall apart—and it will be your fault.
Where it appears: Letter XII (The Illusion of Control), Letter VII (Self-Sufficiency), Letter V (Impossible Standards), Journal Entry 4
The truth: You were never meant to be the architect, rescuer, or savior. God holds your family. Your job is faithfulness in your sphere, not sovereignty over outcomes.
Why we believe it: Control feels like the only power we have. If we can’t control outcomes, at least we can control our effort. But this false responsibility crushes us and robs God of His role.
“Forgiveness requires forgetting”
The lie: If you’ve really forgiven someone (including yourself), you won’t remember the hurt anymore. Remembering means you haven’t truly forgiven.
Where it appears: Letter XXII (Forgiveness as Threat), Letter IX (Bitterness)
The truth: Forgiveness is releasing the debt, not erasing the memory. You can remember what happened and choose not to hold it against them. Forgiveness is a decision, not amnesia.
Why it’s confusing: We’ve been told “forgive and forget.” But that’s not biblical. Joseph remembered what his brothers did—he just chose to see God’s redemptive purpose in it (Genesis 50:20).
The Truths That Set You Free
The Counter-Narrative to Every Struggle
After cataloging all these struggles and lies, here’s what stands against them:
You are not defined by your adequacy, but by His. Your worth isn’t measured by how well you manage chaos—it’s established by whose you are.
Your struggle doesn’t disqualify you from God’s love—it often qualifies you for deeper intimacy with Him. Those who’ve been in the wilderness know His presence in ways the comfortable never will.
Lament is worship. Questions are faith. Exhaustion is not failure. The Psalms give you permission to bring everything—anger, fear, despair—into God’s presence.
You don’t have to fix everything. You’re not the savior—He is. Your job is faithfulness in your sphere. God’s job is sovereignty. Don’t confuse the two.
Community isn’t optional. It’s how God designed you to survive and thrive. Needing help isn’t weakness. Isolation is the enemy’s strategy. Connection is God’s.
Your child is not a burden to God. They’re a beloved image-bearer with purpose. What looks like limitation to the world may be exactly what God uses to display His glory.
Peace isn’t the absence of struggle. It’s the presence of God in the middle of it. You can have anxiety and faith simultaneously. You can grieve and trust at the same time.
Hope isn’t naive. It’s the refusal to let circumstances have the final word. Biblical hope says “even if not, God is still good” (Daniel 3:18).
You are being refined, not destroyed. What the enemy meant for harm, God is using for transformation. You’re not the same—you’re being made new.
Grace isn’t just for the beginning. It’s for every single moment. You don’t graduate from needing grace. It’s the air you breathe, the ground you stand on, the reason you can take the next step.
How to Use This Guide Practically
For Personal Reflection
- Scan the categories until something resonates (“That’s the struggle I’m facing right now”)
- Read the truth that counters it—slowly, multiple times
- Look up the letter/chapter where it’s addressed in the book for deeper context
- Journal your response: How has this struggle affected you? What would change if you believed the truth instead?
For Group Study
- Pick one struggle per session to discuss as a group
- Share where you’ve seen this pattern in your own life
- Read the corresponding chapter from the book together
- Pray the truth over each other—out loud, specifically, personally
For Counseling/Spiritual Direction
- Use this as a diagnostic tool: “Which of these struggles am I operating under?”
- Bring specific entries to your counselor/pastor as conversation starters
- Track patterns: Are multiple struggles connected? (Often control + perfectionism + isolation cluster together)
- Measure progress: Revisit this guide monthly to see which lies have lost their power
For Supporting Others
- When someone shares their struggle, reference this guide: “It sounds like you’re battling…”
- Gift this book with a specific entry marked: “Chapter X reminded me of what you’re walking through”
- Pray specifically: Instead of vague “be with them” prayers, pray against specific lies by name
Patterns the Actual Enemy Exploits
How Struggles Work Together
(These are the strategies woven throughout the demon letters)
Disorientation (Letter I) Flood the mind with unanswerable questions immediately after diagnosis. Keep her between knowing and understanding so truth can’t penetrate.
Double Vision (Letter I) Show her the child as both fragile innocent and unbearable burden, oscillating so rapidly she can’t see them clearly as the gift they are.
The Idol of Normalcy (Letter II) Make “normal” the standard by which everything is measured. Keep her mourning what “should be” so she can’t embrace what is.
Isolation as Strategy (Letter VIII) Convince her that no one understands, that sharing is burdensome, that she must carry this alone. Isolation is where lies thrive without challenge.
Transactional Faith (Letter XIII) Twist grace into a contract. Make her believe God’s favor must be earned, that prayer is a lever, that devotion obligates God to respond.
Perfectionism as Virtue (Letter V) Let her mistake striving for faithfulness, exhaustion for devotion, self-sufficiency for strength. Keep her performing instead of resting.
Comparison as Torture (Letter VI) Use both upward comparison (envy) and downward comparison (guilt) to prevent her from resting in her specific story.
Resignation Disguised as Acceptance (Letter XI) Let her confuse numbness with peace, fatalism with surrender, giving up with letting go.
Demanding Certainty (Letter XVII) Make her believe she needs to understand before she can trust, that God owes her answers before she can obey.
Preemptive Grief (Letter XXV) Teach her that receiving joy now means setting herself up for pain later. Rob the present by fearing the future.
Self-Condemnation as Humility (Letter XXIII) Convince her that harsh self-judgment is spiritual maturity, that peace after failure means she didn’t take sin seriously enough.
A Final Word: Why This Guide Matters
For the Reader: You’re not crazy. These struggles are real, and the lies underneath them are strategic. But naming them strips their power. When you can say, “That’s the lie that God is disappointed in me,” you’ve already begun to dismantle it.
For the Church: These aren’t “parenting struggles”. They’re wrestling matches that occur in daily life. You probably resonate with more than a few yourself. Parents in the siege need more than casseroles. They need truth-speakers who can name the lies and stand in the gap.
For the Isolated: If even one entry made you think, “Someone else understands,” you’ve found your people. You’re not alone. This catalog is proof that others have walked this path and found God faithful.
What to DO…
If you’re in crisis: Start with Category 1 (Struggles with Worth & Identity) and Category 3 (Doubts About God). Read the truths daily until they sink deeper than the lies.
If you’re numb: Read Category 4 (Wrestling with Faith & Prayer) and Letter XI (The Mirage of Acceptance). Ask God to wake up your heart again.
If you’re isolated: Read Category 5 (The Isolation Trap) and consider reaching out to one person this week. Just one.
If you’re drowning in shame: Category 7 (Shame, Condemnation & Identity) is for you. Read Letter XXIII (The Voice of Condemnation) and then Romans 8:1 repeatedly.
If you’re ready to hope again: Read Letter XXIV (When Gratitude Wakes the Soul) and Letter XXV (The Preemptive Grief of Hope). Let yourself begin again.
If you’re questioning everything: Category 3 (Doubts About God) and Category 4 (Wrestling with Faith & Prayer) will meet you in the honest questions.
If you’re carrying everything alone: Category 5 (The Isolation Trap) and Letter VII (The Sweetness of Self-Sufficiency) will challenge you to let others in.
The Journey Continues
This guide is a map, not the destination. The real work happens as you:
- Recognize the struggles when they surface
- Name the lies underneath them
- Speak truth back to both
- Bring your whole heart to God—even the broken parts
- Let others in
- Choose to believe you are beloved
The siege is real. But so is the One who holds you in it.
And He is enough.
About Siege of the Soul
Coming February 2026, Siege of the Soul follows one mother’s journey through the darkness after unexpected news about her child. Written in the style of C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters, the book alternates between demon correspondence (revealing the enemy’s tactics) and journal entries (showing the patient’s internal struggle and eventual transformation).
What makes this book different:
- Grounded in biblical lament tradition (Psalms, Job, Lamentations)
- Informed by biblical counseling principles
- Honest about spiritual realities without sensationalizing them
- The Screwtape-style format makes theology accessible and memorable
- No toxic positivity, no empty promises—just honest faith for the long road
This book is for:
- Parents and caregivers of children with difficult or life-altering diagnoses
- Anyone navigating chronic suffering or unexpected life changes
- Christian counselors and support group leaders
- Readers of C.S. Lewis, Henri Nouwen, Vaneetha Risner, and Joni Eareckson Tada
- Those seeking companionship in the wilderness, not formulas for escape
A Prayer for the Journey
Abba,
For the parent reading this who feels utterly alone—
Let them know You see them.
For the one who’s been carrying shame they were never meant to hold—
Speak Your belovedness over them.
For the one who’s lost hope that anything can change—
Give them a glimpse of resurrection.
For the one who’s exhausted from trying to hold everything together—
Remind them that You are the One who holds.
For the one who’s afraid to trust You again—
Be patient with their fear. Draw near in their doubt.
You don’t waste anything. Not our tears. Not our questions. Not our breaking.
You are making something beautiful from what feels like ruins.
Help us believe that.
Help us rest in that.
Help us hope again.
In Jesus’ precious name,
Amen
One More Thing
If you’ve read through this entire guide and something stirred—recognition, hope, grief, anger, or even just the faint whisper of “maybe I’m not alone”—that’s not an accident.
You were meant to find this.
Not because you need to be fixed, but because you need to be seen.
The struggle is real.
The lies are strategic.
But the truth is stronger.
And you, dear reader, are more loved than you know.
Even here. Even now.
Especially here. Especially now.
Connect & Continue
Order the book: Coming soon!
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