In this natural world, so much threatens to push us away from God and each other. Our differing opinions, experiences, and behavior often cause conflict and suffering. Our physical bodies are susceptible to sources of sickness and sin. Our personal struggles may even culminate in questioning the reality of loving heavenly parents. As Christians, it can feel like we are choosing to navigate the path of most resistance—so how can we rise above the difficulties that would otherwise divide and discourage us? Through her own experiences, as well as the words of scripture, scholars, and latter-day leaders, author Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye shares her personal conviction that, through Christ, we can gain the power of understanding. The sacred struggle to forge divine connections can not only relieve our own burdens but also teach us how to better bear the burdens of our brothers and sisters.

Praise for Sacred Struggle

When we ground our identities in anything but Christ, we inevitably feel divided, alienated, and alone. Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye’s work directly addresses these common feelings of failure and isolation, pointing us to their only possible remedy: a new life in Christ. With fearless candor and disarming vulnerability, she deftly performs charity’s essential work of both comforting the comfortless and discomforting the comfortable. —Adam Miller, author of Original Grace: An Experiment in Restoration

Thinking Few people have the breadth of lived background and historical training, along with the gift for practical parables and searing honesty, possessed by Melissa Inouye. Her life history and her scholarship give her particular authority to address faith challenges confronting many in the global Church; this book exemplifies her lifelong project to find a holy synthesis of universal charity and unflinching discipleship. You will learn about phragmites and chickens, see patriarchy and political polarization with new eyes, and experience a church you may not have known through an array of startling voices she brings into the light. Inouye is piercingly personal, and both dazzling and disconcerting in her directness. This is, all in all, a great-souled work by a great-souled woman. —Terryl Givens, Senior Research Fellow, Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University

Dark wilderness requires a guide both wise and good; Lehi learned this, as did Dante. Melissa Inouye is an essential guide when life leads into the valley of the shadow of death. No other writer has described for me the psychology and emotion of physical suffering with the vividness that Inouye achieves here. She is able to map the geography of affliction because she has traversed it so many times in her fight for health. She speaks a hard truth: when we have the courage to pursue a life in Christ, we will circle through the place of suffering again and again. But Inouye is not content merely to describe the dark path; she shows that the struggle is sacred. This book fills me with desire to embrace paths of great resistance, to pursue a “life full of life,” and to offer my struggle to God for the wisdom, love, and new creation it brings to light. —Rosalynde Frandsen Welch, Research Fellow, Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University

This is the book I’ve been waiting for! Sacred Struggle is raw, refreshing, and healing. Inouye tackles the hard topics that I and many other young adults grapple with. She does so with poise, beauty, and grace. I love that Inouye doesn’t shy away from questions and facts that others often avoid for fear of shaking testimonies. Instead, by addressing them with openness, Inouye strengthens testimonies. I love that she openly talks about racism, the patriarchy, Church history, the environment, illness, LGBTQ topics, alienation, and so many other subjects. I personally found this book to be a panacea for a lot of my own concerns. Additionally, Inouye's writing style is engaging—a beautiful blend of critical thought, history, and personal experience. —Madilyn Abbe, Brigham Young University student