This week we will be talking about suffering as we watch the Hebrew people go from being a free and privileged people to being oppressed and enslaved in the land of Egypt. In Exodus 1 and 2, the Pharaohs become increasingly threatened by the multiplying Jews and eventually enslaved them to ruthlessly build their cities in hard labor. Over time, things go from bad to worse as they move from loss, to oppression, to injustice. In the moments of our suffering, we have choices to make about our response. Through the opening chapters of the Exodus story, we are challenged to trust in God's unconventional ways and to take our pain honestly to the Lord.