Where is God when it hurts? It’s a question that has echoed through centuries, but feels especially sharp in times of personal pain, grief, or crisis. When life unravels and the reality of suffering presses in, many of us are left wondering whether God is absent, silent, or simply indifferent. But could it be that our moments of deepest struggle are also moments of profound encounter?
Author and entrepreneur Anne Welsh reveals what it's like suffering with Sickle Cell disease and shares her own story of faith and doubt, of searching for God in the middle of life’s hardest seasons. Anne explores how her hope in Jesus speaks into suffering, why lament is an essential part of faith, and how we might find strength and comfort even when answers seem far away.
Whether you are walking through hardship yourself, supporting someone you love, or wrestling with questions about the goodness of God, this interview invites you into an honest and hopeful dialogue about pain, faith, and the presence of God in our broken world.
Anne Welsh has not allowed a life-threatening disease to hold her back. Today she is a successful Instagram influencer, author and entrepreneur but at the age of three she was diagnosed with Sickle Cell anaemia.
She lived much of her early life in Nigeria and had to face many problems living with that disease in a developing country. Doctors told her that she would only live until a certain age, that she wouldn’t be able to have children or even finish her studies. Since then she has married, had children, completed an MSc and had a successful career in banking.
Anne is a vocal advocate for sufferers of Sickle Cell disease. She has appeared on both TV and radio and her memoir, Pain-Less: Living with Pain, Finding Joy (2019), raises awareness about the impact invisible diseases such as Sickle Cell can have both on individuals and their families.
Having frequently battled with depression, Anne is all too aware of the sometimes unseen difficulties faced by sufferers of life-threatening illnesses. Through her book and by her Instagram activity she hopes to help others improve their mental and physical wellbeing and enable them to achieve a joyful and fulfilling life where they never let their illness define who they are.
